Georgia's Most Important Players in 2022: Kelee Ringo

Redshirt sophomore Kelee Ringo's name will go down in history as the player who scored the game sealing pick-six of the national championship versus Alabama, delivering a national title back to Athens.

At this point last offseason, the expectation from the outside regarding Kelee Ringo was that the then redshirt freshmen would play a role at cornerback in Georgia's defense. However, the big question surrounding Ringo was if he'd be able to win a starting spot while battling Ameer Speed, a longtime reserve who was finally getting his chance to win a starting job.  

Ringo missed his true freshman season in 2020 due to offseason surgery that repaired a torn labrum. The missed time for the former highly recruited five-star cornerback may have given Speed an advantage to start the season. And as we know, Speed started the first three games of the season, lining up opposite of Clemson transfer Derion Kendrick, before the emergence of Kelee Ringo, the starter in the last 12 games.

Following the legendary pick-six in the national championship game by the redshirt freshmen, many are excited to see what Ringo will do in his second full season at Georgia. 

Some are already labeling the once Tacoma, Washington, native as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft class. After losing eight defenders to the draft this past April, Georgia will want the play of a first-round caliber corner on the backend of their defense. 

Ringo showed off an impressive skillset in his first season as a contributor. At 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds, his physical traits and athletic ability make him a natural in press-man coverage. The ability of Georgia to play press-man coverage in the rematch with Alabama proved to be a major difference in the game plan. Albeit, the Tide faithful will point out that their "best two receivers" were sidelined with injuries. 

The departure of the aforementioned Clemson transfer Derion Kendrick, will see Ringo become one of the leaders in Georgia's secondary, as a decision has yet to be made about who will be lining up opposite of Ringo as the second outside corner. 

An impressive 2022 season could see Ringo move onto a career in the NFL. Thanks to the redshirt in 2020 due to his injury, this fall will be his third year of eligibility, making him available to enter the NFL Draft at the season's end. 

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