Let’s be honest.

You could have made a sizable wager there'd be no way fifth-year senior Ameer Speed would still be a part of the Georgia football program.

You'd have also lost your bet.

In an era when players transfer, often seemingly for no particular reason, Speed listened to his heart. Georgia was where he wanted to sign, and Georgia was where he was going to stay.

“I’m blessed to be here. God’s taught me different than everybody else. He taught me just to keep working and wait for that exact moment—then to be able to step up and take my role,” Speed said. “I love my teammates. I love the University of Georgia. Pretty much everything I just said is why I’m still here today. Again, it’s just me knowing my situation, knowing God has taught me different than anyone else, keeping patient and humble about my experiences.”

Speed’s patience appears to be about to pay off.

After primarily seeing action on special teams in a backup role when games were essentially out of hand, Speed’s perseverance stands finally to be rewarded.

With so much youth at cornerback, Speed is now in a position to play an integral role in the Bulldogs’ young secondary. The group includes redshirt freshmen Kelee Ringo, Daran Branch, and Jalen Kimber, along with true freshman Nyland Green and Lovasea Carroll, who originally signed as a running back.

“I just want to help out my teammates the best that I can and hone in on my technique,” Speed said after practice on Tuesday. “I want to be that old guy that the young players can lean on to help them get where they need.”

Speed, who's one of just seven members of Georgia’s 2017 class still with the team, feels he can help on the field as well.

“I think I bring good length and good speed to the defense, but I also I know the defense very well,” he said. “All those things can help me out in my game.”

With just 12 career tackles, Speed’s claim to fame likely comes from the fact that he’s taller than most at his position.

Six-foot-3 cornerbacks are not common in this sport.

“I’m very motivated. Just because I’m 6-3, I want to show I can do everything everybody else can do,” Speed said. “I want to know the whole secondary, I want to be able to do it all. Learning all the positions will help me be better at my game.”

Speed joked he’s always been a patient type of person.

So, even when he found his path blocked by the likes of Eric Stokes, DeAndre Baker, and Tyson Campbell, the Jacksonville native kept pushing.

“I see it as everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I can’t speak to everybody’s blessings. They took advantage of their opportunities, and they did great with what they did. I’ve just been here learning, waiting for my time.”