NASHVILLE - Kamari Lassiter appeared at SEC Media Days wearing a "K3" chain around his neck.

That has a couple of meanings. The most obvious is that the chain pairs Lassiter's first initial with his number on the football field.

But the chain holds a deeper significance for Lassiter as well.

"My family, my mom, my dad, and myself, all three of our names start with the letter K. There’s three of us, so it goes by K3," Lassiter said.

Lassiter is now one of the leaders of Georgia's defense, especially in the secondary. But he wouldn't be where he is today without the help of his mother.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart recalled hearing Lassiter speak during one of the team's skull sessions, meetings where players discuss their motivations on and off the field. Smart said Lassiter's speech "hit me in the heart."

"It hit me right in the gut when he talked about his mom, Miss Kammie, and how much she sacrificed so he could go to the best high school, private school, and get the best education," Smart said. "How many jobs she worked, how she slept on the couch at his auntie's house. An incredible job that Kamari did explaining this, making himself vulnerable to the rest of our team and our players."

Lassiter grew up with his family in Savannah before moving to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Throughout his recruitment, he kept his eye on Georgia, waiting and waiting for an offer.

The Covid-19 pandemic further complicated Lassiter's recruitment. Instead of visiting Athens and meeting with the staff, he had to do everything over Zoom. He sent the coaches countless videos of him going through drills in the hopes of proving he was worthy of a Georgia scholarship.

"Georgia was one of the last schools to offer me," Lassiter said. "Me being from Georgia, I was like, what’s up with these guys? I had almost all the offers that I wanted except for Georgia, so I was like, I’m going to do whatever I can to get this offer."

Eventually, the offer came. Lassiter committed to Georgia and made his way to campus as a member of the 2021 class of "Covid babies," as Smart called them.

Lassiter saw action in all 15 games as a reserve defensive back and special teams player in 2021. Last year he stepped fully into the spotlight, starting all 15 games as Georgia marched to a second straight national championship.

For each games, Lassiter has a tradition. Like his K3 chain, it reminds him of where he came from and who he's playing for as he eyes a third ring and an NFL career.

"On my towel, my hand towel, I have it on my back. Before every game, I write on it, ‘For my people,’" Lassiter said. "That just reminds me that’s who I’m playing for: everybody back home."