Javon Bullard sat laughing in Georgia's locker room.
The second spring practice of 2023 had just concluded. The junior from Milledgeville sat with fellow defensive backs Kamari Lassiter and Tykee Smith and joked about how old they've become.
Bullard has indeed become an elder statesman in the secondary. In a unit tasked with replacing Chris Smith and Kelee Ringo, Bullard is one of the players who will be looked at to lead the back end of the defense in 2023.
"It’s a privilege," Bullard said. "I’m blessed to be in the position that I am. Just taking on that leadership role, it’s an honor. I don’t take it for granted. I just want to lead those guys in the right direction like the leaders that did that before me."
Bullard filled the star position for most of 2022. He closed the year by winning defensive MVP honors in both the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and the National Championship Game.
But as Bullard noted when he met with reporters after the second practice of the spring, complacency isn't a part of his game. He said he's approaching every day eager to learn and improve.
"I’ve got big goals and big plans for myself and for this team," Bullard said. "I just want to keep learning, keep growing. I feel like this is the best school to learn and grow from as far as a DB perspective with the coaches that we have and the defense that we run."
But Bullard is also tasked with taking younger players under his wing.
Players such as Lewis Cine, Chris Smith, Derion Kendrick, and others did that for him in his first weeks on campus. Now he's hoping to do the same for the likes of AJ Harris, Joenel Aguero, Daniel Harris, and other young Bulldogs.
"The standard here is different. Just from high school is different," Bullard said. "The SEC, it’s different. It’s tough, it’s physical. Just getting those guys ready, those guys are already great physically, but the mindset part of it is probably the biggest aspect."
Georgia's success in recent years has come in part due to the idea of a standard throughout the program. It's now Bullard's responsibility to help the secondary uphold that level of play.
He hopes to keep that going not just for this season, but the campaigns to come.
"Those guys paved the way for guys like myself and Sed (Sedrick Van Pran)," Bullard said. "The standard’s going to be the standard. When me and Sed leave, the standard’s still going to be the standard. I feel like that’s the best part about this organization is that the standard doesn’t change, the people do."
