Kelee Ringo addresses confidence, texting Kirby Smart about gameplan

Going into Georgia’s game against Tennessee, it was clear that the Bulldogs had confidence in their ability to stop the Volunteers’ passing attack. Then, Georgia went out and proved why it deserved to be so confident. This comes from seasons of dominating on the defensive side of the ball and having elite players like Kelee Ringo who trust in Kirby Smart and what he wants to do.

It had previously been reported that Kelee Ringo reached out to Kirby Smart to be assigned against Jalin Hyatt. That didn’t ultimately happen. However, he is still incredibly confident.

“As you guys all know, as the rest of the SEC knows, Jalin Hyatt is a really good player,” Kelee Ringo said. “Really explosive player.”

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“Me, myself, I’m a competitor. So, I want to be able to see the best in every single opportunity that I get.”

Kelee Ringo was disappointed that the gameplan didn’t see him directly competing against Jalin Hyatt. At the same time, he wanted to make it clear that he always trusts Kirby Smart’s decision-making.

“Of course, Coach Smart said that wasn’t the plan. I mean, like every other situation that we’ve been put in that Coach Smart draws up for us and gives us a plan, if we stick to it I feel like we definitely have a chance to be successful. So, I bought that and I feel like it turned out right for us.”

Ringo is widely seen as one of the best defensive backs in the country. He came to Georgia as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2020, where he has had the opportunity to develop into an elite player.

Kelee Ringo on the development process

Kelee Ringo also spoke about the process of developing into a better player while at Georgia. In particular, how the Bulldogs pride themselves on toughness and being reliable.

“One that we pride ourselves on is definitely toughness. It’s a huge part of our program, something that Kirby continues to instill into us each and every single day,” Kelee Ringo said.

“If you look around at your teammates, you have to know that you can rely on them, and the way we practice every single day, we know that everybody is put through really hard times throughout the entire season, practice in training camp, summer workouts and everything like that. If you’re on the field, we look at you as a starter and know that you’re tough enough and capable of doing what we need us to be capable to do.”