'Attack everything' attitude important for Javon Bullard, his move to safety
You’d be hard-pressed to find somebody that finished finished the 2022 college football season better than Georgia’s Javon Bullard.
The Bulldog defensive back came down with a pair of interceptions in UGA’s 65-7 National Championship Game victory over TCU. He also recovered a fumble, all a part of his second straight Defensive MVP worthy performance in the College Football Playoffs. And oh by the way, he was limited to just one half against the Horned Frogs, exiting in the second quarter due to a shoulder injury.
In talking about Bullard, Georgia coach Kirby Smart was quick to remind folks that he wasn’t a five-star coming out of high school or somebody everybody expected to standout at the collegiate level. Instead, his excellence comes as a product of constant hard work.
“Javon is a guy that’s had a chip on his shoulder,” Smart said about Bullard. “He was another not highly recruited guy. He loves football, and he embraces a selfless role. He came in during the COVID class, so there’s another evidence of a guy like Kamari (Lassiter) and a guy like Brock Bowers that bought into the team concept.”
“He loves it,” Smart continued. “He loves to eat off the floor. He likes that saying. He’s a hard worker that overcomes a lot. A lot of people didn’t have high accolades on him, but we liked the intrinsic character in him, and it’s paid off because he’s a tough, physical leader on our team.”
Bullard burst onto the scene last season after a freshman campaign that saw action primarily on special teams and half of his tackles come in Georgia’s game against an FCS opponent. Playing a big role on a defense that lost eight players to the NFL Draft, he started 10 of 14 games at STAR for the Bulldogs. He finished with 46 total tackles, good for fifth-best on the team, including a pair of sacks in Georgia’s win over the then-No. 1 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Bullard also had a strong showing against Florida with a career-high eight tackles.
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Seemingly settled in to his starter’s role by season’s end, Bullard has a new challenge that awaits him in 2023. In an effort to replace consensus All-American Christopher Smith, Bullard made the move to safety this spring. It’s one that his teammates expect to go well.
“JB, that’s a guy that he comes to work in day-in, day-out. He’s the same guy every day, a hard worker, first-guy-in, last-guy-out type of guy, and he attacks everything with the same mindset and same heart,” Bullard’s fellow First-Team All-SEC defensive back Kamari Lassiter said when asked about the position change. “He loves the game of football. So I expect nothing less than for him to excel in that position.”
So, is it possible that Bullard is even better in 2023? Absolutely. With all the highs of last season, there were some times of struggle. Expect less of those as he goes into a third year of playing in the SEC.
And with his documented work ethic and attitude, the change to safety shouldn’t be a concern. Rather, the experience should aid him in the transition and provide confidence for fans that he’ll continue to make big plays and be a tone setter for the Bulldogs this fall.
