Javon Bullard To Be The Cornerstone of Georgia's Secondary
Despite losing both Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith to the NFL this offseason, Georgia will be rolling into the 2023 season with what many would consider the most talented secondary in the country. Not only because of the talent that the Bulldogs possess in the back end but because of their ability to be so flexible in the secondary.
A couple of key contributors that will be returning for Georgia in 2023 are starting Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard, and Malaki Starks. All three were starters on defense last season, and all three are expected to be big-time contributors. Outside of those three, Georgia will be using a mix of guys like Tykee Smith, who has been around the program for a couple of seasons now, and incoming freshmen like Joenel Aguero. All of which will play a significant role in the secondary this season.
With C. Smith no longer with the team and the incoming players that Georgia has on the roster, Bullard is expected to move to safety as opposed to STAR, which is where he played for the majority of last season. Head coach Kirby Smart spoke about the secondary and what they are trying to figure out there during his press conference ahead of fall camp starting.
"We have really great leadership in our secondary. I think coach Muschamp and Coach Fran [Brown] do a great job of developing leadership. Probably one of our strongest leadership positions between Bullard, Tykee [Smith], Kamari [Lassiter], Malaki [Starks], Dan Jackson. The names go on and on in terms of good leaders in those rooms. As far as Bullard, you don't always weigh it as what's Bullard's best position for the team. It's who can play the positions around him. We are weighing that option. We feel like he is a very experienced STAR, he spent majority of his development as a football player as STAR since being here. So we have really tried to push the safety issue in order to create more depth there, and then figure out who's the best around him. I think [Bullard] is one of our best eleven football players, but who is number ten and eleven and where do they fit? And all of that should play out in camp."
Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard (22) during the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo by Tony Walsh)
With the addition of Aguero and T. Smith being in full go health-wise for one of the first times in his career at Georgia, Georgia has the ability to use Bullard at multiple spots on the field due to his versatility as a player. As Smart mentioned in his comments, they will be trying to figure out who the best players are along with Bullard, and that will open the door for other players to step up on the depth chart.
Georgia will also spend fall camp trying to figure out who their other starting cornerback will be on the other side of Lassiter. Nyland Green and Daylen Everette appear to be the front runners, and much like the rest of their secondary positions, the Bulldogs withhold a good number of talented players that they will be able to choose from.
Other Georgia News:
- Recruiting Update: Who Could Be Next for Georgia?
- George Pickens Can Be a “Top Guy in the League,” According to Steelers QB
- Preseason All-SEC Teams Released
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