If Georgia senior linebacker Amarlo Herrera isn’t named the SEC’s defensive player of the week, something’s wrong.

Herrera tied a career-high with 12 tackles and posted two of his team’s SEC-high five sacks during the Bulldogs’ 45-21 win over Clemson, spearheading a unit that gave up just 15 yards and a single first down in the second half.

RELATED: SEC’s top position groups in Week 1

Can we call the College Park native and multi-year starter defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s secret weapon?

Based on the sheer amount of preseason shout-outs to teammates at the same position, the answer’s yes.

Few would argue with Georgia’s depth at the linebacker position as one of the SEC’s strongest units, but Herrera’s often the fourth name mentioned in terms of talent behind Leonard Floyd, Ramik Wilson and Jordan Jenkins.

In June, ESPN left Herrera out of its Top 10 linebacker rankings but included his three teammates.

We did the same at SDS in our spring practice and adjusted fall player rankings prior to Saturday’s opener, undervaluing Herrera’s potential to lead the Bulldogs ahead of Floyd and returning SEC tackles leader Wilson.

That won’t happen again following Herrera’s Week 1 dominance.

Arguably Georgia’s most consistent defender since breaking into the linebacker rotation during the 2011 season, Herrera’s rarely caught out of position and follows the football with tenacity. Overshadowed last fall by Wilson’s spectacular 133 total tackles, Herrera was still one of the league’s most productive linebackers with 112 tackles and dominated in run support.

He looks even better this season and is trying to improve a mid-round grade as an inside linebacker at the next level in his final campaign.