Kirby Smart has always taken a personal interest in the secondary, considering safety was his position back in his playing days.
While Smart will tell you as a coach he never feels he has enough depth, that always seems to be the case with the secondary, where re-stocking the position on signing day is always an annual goal.
Once again there are players to replace.
Gone is Kelee Ringo, who will live forever in Georgia football lore for his pick-6 of Bryce Young to seal the 2021 National Championship win over Alabama.
Safety Chris Smith, who combined consistent safety play with outstanding leadership, is also no longer part of the team.
But thanks to the recruiting diligence by the Bulldogs, younger players are ready to step in and assume their roles.
As we continue our Three Takes Series, let’s examine the secondary.
Bulldogs not expected to miss a beat at safety; star in excellent hands
Javon Bullard may be small in stature, but he's the toughest son of a gun on the entire Georgia football team.
What Bullard did in earning team defensive MVP honors in both the semifinal against Ohio State and the national championship against TCU doesn’t get talked about enough.
His recognition of what opposing offenses are trying to do increased exponentially last fall, and that allowed him to play even faster, excelling against both the run and the pass.
Senior Tykee Smith is finally healthy. Toward the middle of the season, he flashed the talent many predicted when he first transferred from West Virginia. He’ll team with Bullard to give the Bulldogs as solid a tandem at the position as there is in the conference.
At free safety, Malaki Starks went on to earn Freshman All-SEC honors. Don't be surprised if his sophomore season lands him on numerous all-conference teams.
Starks is one of the more athletic safeties in the league, and wasn’t fazed by the jump in competition. Look for Starks to begin assuming many of the leadership responsibilities left by Smith.
As far as who replaces Chris Smith on the field, David Daniel-Sisavanh would seem to have the best opportunity, but JaCorey Thomas had a good offseason and could find himself in the picture as well.
The Bulldogs also return Dan Jackson after a foot injury shortened his 2022 campaign. Keep an eye on freshman early enrollee Joenel Aguero, too.
Who replaces Kelee Ringo?
Kamari Lassiter would seem to have one of the two corner spots wrapped up.
Ringo’s former spot figures to be a scrum to see who winds up the starter.
Nyland Green finally began to put it together as a redshirt freshman, and we began to see him on the field much more.
Green will be in the picture, but keep an eye on Texas A&M transfer Smoke Bouie.
Bouie brings a tenacity that will come in handy for the position. But he will have competition not only from Green, but sophomore Daylen Everette and redshirt freshman Julian Humphrey, who look to open some eyes with strong springs.
Freshmen with an opportunity to have an impact
Cornerback AJ Harris and safety Joenel Aguero are both early enrollees, and that’s going to give both an opportunity to make a quick impact in their first year as Bulldogs.
We talked about the safety position above.
While there are some players with experience returning, per the offseason workout grapevine, Aguero has already made an impression during winter workouts.
Aguero is considered a punishing tackler whose coverage skills are improving. Considering Starks was given an opportunity at such a young age, there’s no reason why Aguero cannot do the same with a solid spring.
At 6-1 and 190 pounds, Harris brings excellent length to the position. He’ll be competing against players with more experience, but the fact he’s in Athens as an early enrollee will give him the chance to work into the rotation sooner or later.
