ATHENS - JJ Hanne’s football roots started far from Georgia, and even farther from the sport he’s now helping play on Saturdays in the SEC.
Before he was working into the Bulldogs’ defensive line rotation, Hanne was a kid in Berlin, Germany, watching soccer and admiring Jerome Boateng. Hanne said Boateng was his favorite player growing up, and it makes sense: both were born in Berlin, and Boateng built a decorated career as a center back for Bayern Munich and the German national team. He was a starter on Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team and won the German league title in nine of his 10 seasons with Bayern.
Hanne’s own path to football took some convincing at home. He grew up playing soccer, and his first exposure to American football came at cornerback.
But the game wasn’t really a serious pursuit at first, partly because of age restrictions in Germany. He had to push hard to get his mother to let him try it.
“I just begged her, really, and then my brother came in and did the same thing for me,” Hanne said. “And then she asked me if I really wanted to do it, and I told her yes.
And then she just made me promise that I would never quit. And I promised her that, so then she let me go.”
Eventually, Hanne left Berlin for California, where he played at Santa Margarita Catholic School to keep developing. He even had his mother, who still lives in Germany, download Snapchat so she could keep up with his day-to-day life from overseas.
His college decision started to take shape after Georgia beat TCU in Los Angeles for the 2023 National Championship Game. That was the moment Hanne decided he wanted to play for the Bulldogs. Getting there meant proving himself at camps, and he still remembers how much that first visit meant to him.
“I didn’t get offered right after the camp. So I kind of was like, am I going to get the offer?
Was I good enough, thinking everything through, if I did a good enough job,” Hanne said. “Then after the tour we got, I got the offer.
Yes, I knew I wanted to come here, I knew I wanted to play for Coach Scott because I felt it when I walked into the indoor.”
Hanne committed to Georgia in July of 2024 as part of the 2025 recruiting cycle. While Justus Terry and Elijah Griffin drew the most attention in that class, Hanne has become one of Georgia’s quieter success stories. He’s carved out a role in the defensive line rotation in each of his first two seasons, played in all 14 games last year and already has seven tackles through Georgia’s first four games this season.
Kirby Smart sees exactly why Hanne has stuck.
“JJ is a wonderful kid,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Hanne. “One of the most positive, optimistic, hardest-working, cover-down, run-to-the-ball, play with the right energy, never walks on the field for a day, never a day that he’s discouraged.
He’s always got a smile on his face. I think his experience in life puts him so much further ahead of other kids who, they might take for granted an opportunity like this.
He does not.”
Smart also believes Hanne’s background in soccer may have helped smooth the transition. Hanne said the footwork, balance and body control he learned as a center back carry over, especially at defensive line, where staying upright and handling contact is everything.
“Just basic footwork and basic balance and body control things, which is pretty important playing center back, which is also extremely important playing defensive line here,” Hanne said. “Getting bumped every play, so you’ve got to be able to stay on your feet.”
Even with all he’s already experienced, Hanne still hopes his mother can make it to America to watch him play for Georgia. For now, though, he’s soaking in the reality of where he landed.
“When we had that practice game kind of in Sanford Stadium, and I saw the turnout, and I saw how big game day really is, because I had never really been to a college football game other than my OV,” Hanne said. “Just seeing that in person and taking it in and being on the field, it kind of felt movie-like, to be honest.”
In Other News...
Georgias Oklahoma Win Put One Bulldogs Strength In Clear Focus
Georgias 41-13 rout of Oklahoma did more than keep the Bulldogs rolling against unranked opponents, extending that streak to 52 in a row. It also offered another reminder of how complete this team can look when the run game and defense are both in rhythm, with Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens helping set the tone on the ground while Talyn Taylor provided a useful spark in the passing game.
The defensive side may have left the clearest impression. Georgia forced four turnovers and turned one of them into points when Chris Cole returned a fumble for a touchdown, the kind of play that can break an opponents spirit and change the feel of a game in a hurry. For all the balance on offense, it was the Bulldogs ability to create chaos on defense that again stood out most, especially in a matchup that pushed their all-time record against Oklahoma to 2-0. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Bobos Georgia Offense Is Finally Creating A New Problem
Georgias offense has spent the first month of the season creating a kind of problem the program can live with: too many explosive plays to keep track of. Through four games, the Bulldogs have already piled up six plays of more than 50 yards, a sharp contrast from the season before, and that burst has helped fuel the nations No. 1 scoring offense. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has leaned into a more aggressive approach, and it has shown up across the depth chart rather than through one isolated weapon.
Gunner Stockton and Talyn Taylor have both talked about the need for Georgia to keep attacking in space, and the production has come from multiple sources. Nate Frazier, Jaden Reddell and Craig Dandridge have all had a hand in the bigger-play surge, giving the offense a different feel than the more methodical units that came before it. For a team already built to win on depth and balance, the next challenge is less about finding explosiveness and more about making sure it stays part of the weekly identity. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia May Have One Big Edge In Race For 5-Star Kellan Hall
Kellan Halls trip to Athens came at a good time for Georgia, with the five-star prospect in town for the Oklahoma game and leaving with a strong impression of the program. For the Bulldogs, that kind of visit matters just as much as the atmosphere on the field, especially with a recruit of Halls caliber still early in his process and drawing close attention from powers across the country.
Hall is already thinking ahead to how name, image and likeness opportunities could shape his decision, and he made clear that a competitive Georgia offer would be hard to ignore. Ranked No. 2 in the 2028 class, he is still far from a final call and plans to commit in early 2027, but the Bulldogs have put themselves in a spot where their pitch could carry real weight when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]