Kelee Ringo details interception, road back to the field

Kelee Ringo didn't know what the offense had planned.

Georgia called a three-deep defensive scheme against UAB. Ringo started off in press coverage against his man, but switched to a bail technique when the tight end motioned to his side of the field.

He kept his eyes on his receiver as they started downfield. The Blazer pass-catcher stuttered his feet, alerting Ringo to the fact he'd be going deep. As Ringo peeked back at the quarterback, he saw the ball would soon be coming his way.

The former five-star defensive back recruit then turned into a receiver. He leaped and snagged the ball at its highest point, coming down with his first career interception, as the Sanford Stadium crowd roared.

Ringo has always had the talent for plays like that. As he sat out last season with a shoulder injury, he developed the mental part of his game to pair with his immense physical gifts.

"Any time a player is hurt, Coach Smart’s like, ‘Man, if you’re not getting the play call, if you’re not seeing what the offense is doing, then you’re wrong,’" Ringo said. "When you get on the field and when you return, you can definitely play much faster. Things happen much slower for you, so you can react to things 10 times faster on the field. I feel like mental reps are a huge aspect of the game."

Ringo admitted he struggled mentally at times during his first season in Athens in 2020. After being told he could come in and contribute right away, he missed the entire season with a shoulder injury.

He found strength in his mother Tralee Hale, who has been battling cancer for over a year. She supported her son as he navigated his own trials and tribulations during his first year of college.

"That setback, I feel like that was something I needed mentally to be able to give me something hard in my life that I had to go through," Ringo said. "I feel like seeing my teammates every single day work hard and just looking forward to really being a part of that really helped me stay up and stay on the right foot every single day."

Coming into this season fully healthy, Ringo found himself battling for playing time. He earned a job as a regular in the cornerback rotation along with Ameer Speed and Derion Kendrick.

Ringo had his ups and downs in his first action against Clemson. The Georgia defense didn't give up too many big plays, but Ringo got flagged for pass interference twice.

The following week, Ringo and the coaches worked on staying poised and keeping his head around while in coverage. He headed into his second game against UAB carrying that knowledge with him.

His mother watched as her son stepped onto the Sanford Stadium turf for the first time. Her heart leaped as she watched her son come down with his first collegiate interception.

Through a combination of physical talent and mental prowess, Ringo is ready to step up on the outside for the Bulldog defense.

"It was a great feeling, man, really unexplainable, the way I felt after I caught the ball. I was like, ‘Man, I really just did that at Sanford Stadium,'" Ringo said. "I was like just continuing to stay humble and continuing to be able to execute my things day in and day out, and I feel like I’ll have a lot more opportunities."