Deandre Baker was a shining star for the Bulldogs at cornerback in 2018.

In the senior from Miami, Kirby Smart knew he had that shutdown performer who could lock up with and defend the best the SEC had to offer.

But as Georgia gets set to enter spring practice, there’s no Baker to lean on. Fortunately, this has been a position coaches have paid much attention to during the past two recruiting cycles.

Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell have the most starts under their belt as far as the team’s returning corners are concerned, with Mark Webb, Divaad Wilson, Tyrique McGhee, and Ameer Speed filling out a group of returnees who are also expected to get considerable looks.

There’s also some new blood in the form of early enrollees Lewis Cine, D.J. Daniel, and Tyrique Stevenson, who come to Athens with impressive resumes of their own.

The thing about Georgia’s defensive backs, is you’ll often see them cross-train in order to get the most out of their respective talents.

That’s expected to be the case again this year under new secondary coach Charlton Warren. He's already been hard at work since his hire, assessing and getting to know the talent that he’s got on hand.

Georgia finished third in the SEC in pass defense, giving up just 180 yards per game, a stat largely due to the efforts of Baker.

One of the best efforts came during the Bulldogs’ 43-29 win at Missouri, when quarterback Drew Lock completed just 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards and zero touchdowns.

The Missouri game qualified as a coming out party for Stokes, who blocked and returned a punt eight yards for one of Georgia’s scores.

However, there were some bumps in the road. Campbell, for example, was exposed in several games by more experienced receivers, specifically in Georgia’s loss to LSU. Ultimately he was removed from the starting lineup. Stokes got the call against UMass.

Stokes would wind up starting three of Georgia’s last four games at left cornerback, with Campbell getting the nod in the Sugar Bowl after Baker’s decision to sit out the game.

Baker leaves Georgia as one of its most accomplished cornerbacks in recent years.

The 2018 Jim Thorpe Award winner, Baker did not allow a single touchdown pass the entire season as he helped Georgia’s secondary earn the reputation as one of the top units in the SEC.

Cine and Stevenson come to Athens with impressive resumes. Both have the size, length, and speed that Smart covets at corner, and both love the challenge of getting up in a receivers’ face, challenging him for the ball.

Both are more than capable of earning playing time quickly—but so is junior college transfer Daniel.

Daniel, who comes to Georgia from Georgia Military, originally committed to South Carolina before picking the Bulldogs.

Campbell and Stokes will have first dibs, but there’s still going to be plenty of competition on the field come spring.

Webb and Wilson are right on the cusp, and will make sure the aforementioned duo stay focused in their efforts to hang onto their jobs.

Daniels, Stevenson, and Cine only add to the athleticism that Georgia has accrued at the position, and will put pressure on others returnees like Speed, who was hampered all year with a hand injury. William Poole and McGhee will also get looks at safety and Star.

So, what’s going to ultimately happen?

Stokes, it can be argued, was ultimately Georgia’s most consistent cornerback not named Baker, while Campbell will need to show that his freshman lapses are now squarely behind him.

The guess here is, Campbell will do just that. But he’s going to need to be at his best. We’re already hearing positive words on Daniel, with the freshmen Cine and Stevenson anxious to prove they’re ready to be part of the mix.