Daylen Everette ready for role as veteran in second season as Georgia starter

ATHENS, Ga. — A look back at Georgia DBs, especially cornerbacks, over the last half decade or so shows a trend. Very rarely have the Bulldogs been breaking in two new starters on the outside.

It happened in 2021, but Kirby Smart and his staff went to the transfer portal for the late addition of Clemson’s Derion Kendrick. More often than not though, it’s been a returning starter who got thrown to the fire the year before with a promising player opposite of them ready to get the same treatment. Take 2018 with Thorpe Award winner Deandre Baker and true freshman Tyson Campbell for example. How about 2022 with National Championship Game hero Kelee Ringo and Kamari Lassiter?

That’s the case this year with Daylen Everette being the veteran and whoever ends up opposite of him – likely Julian Humphrey or Daniel Harris – as the “rookie.” Everette was in their shoes though a year ago opposite of a second-year starter in Lassiter. The first player outside of a five-star rating in the Class of 2022 coming in at No. 33 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking, there’s no doubt Everette had the talent to hold his own, but teams tested him instead of his counterpart – who appears primed for a starting spot with the Houston Texans in his rookie season this fall.

PFF credits Everette with a season-long coverage rating of 63.5, saying he allowed 29 receptions on 54 targets, giving up 367 yards and three touchdowns. Compare those stats with the ones of Lassiter, Georgia’s highest rated defender (85.4) who gave up just 15 grabs on 39 targets for 136 yards and no touchdowns, and it’s easy to see that teams went at Everette in a secondary featuring three selections in the 2024 draft (Lassiter, Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith) plus a potential first rounder in 2025 (Malaki Starks).

Everette felt it, but he wasn’t offended. It’s not hard to understand why teams would target him.

“I mean, the guy across from me, if it’s Kamari Lassiter, you know the type of player he was. He locked down the whole other side of the field, so I guess they were just going to try me,” Everette said when asked if he felt teams targeting him more often. “I didn’t really try to take it as that, but it kind of ended up being that way.”

That type of experience has hardened Everette, and he knows what to expect with a year under his belt in the SEC. He’s seen the best the league has to offer lining up opposite of guys like Isaiah Bond, Luther Burden and Tre Harris already. Everette learned that it won’t always be easy and he can’t look back on the last play. Instead, he’s got to remain confident and move on to the next one.

“The biggest thing I learned I would say just having the next-play mentality, just not letting a bad play or even a good play get to your head and affect the next play,” Everette said. “Just be in the moment and just be worried about what’s happening at that time.”

Kirby Smart, a former Georgia defensive back himself, sees that confidence in Everette. He also sees the Norfolk, Va. native stepping up as a leader and rubbing off his energy on others.

“Proud of Daylen and his leadership in that room. I mean, he’s one of the few guys coming back with playing experience in that room outside of Malaki and Dan (Jackson),” Smart said. “I think he exudes confidence that maybe leaks over to others. He sets an example where maybe he followed Kamari’s example for a while and learned from those older players. He’s got to carry the torch in that room, and I’m excited to see him do it.”

“Daylen’s a great athlete, he’s a great corner. It’s just another guy that I’m excited to play beside,” added Dan Jackson, who enters his sixth season in Athens and has seen several of those cornerbacks come and go through the program. “Me and him, our relationship has built a lot within the last couple years. He’s another guy that brings a lot of energy, a lot of juice to practice and games. We’re excited to watch him play.”

Everette understands his position as a leader. He’s been through the trials and has emerged with lessons learned. Now, he’s trying to do his best to teach others and help prepare them for what’s ahead.

“I’m just really trying to set a good example for the young guys, even like everybody in the room, especially the young guys and stuff,” Everette said. “I just try to point them in the right direction, tell what’s the right thing and the wrong thing to do. Just be there for them.”

“I really just took that year to step back and learn from the older guys that year like Kelee Ringo, Kamari Lassiter, all of them. It kind of helped me with that,” he added. “The type of role I have, I’m one of the older guys in the room now,” he added. “I want to actually try and be the example for the young guys, so that’s where we’re at.”

Everette and Georgia get the season underway against Clemson on August 31st (12:00 p.m. ET, ABC). Both the Bulldogs and Tigers, who hold four of the last eight National Championship titles, are expected to be top-15 teams ahead of the 2024 campaign with the release of preseason polls coming over the next couple of weeks.