Development, competition excites Georgia DB Daylen Everette
Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette has been on campus for over a year now. He’s no longer a freshman academically and certainly isn’t one on the football field. Being able to sit back and learn from the likes of Kelee Ringo and Kamari Lassiter, one of whom is a possible first round pick in this year’s NFL Draft and the other could be one come 2024, Everette says he’s learned what it takes to be a Georgia Bulldog.
“Honestly, it’s just been a growth year. Having them (Ringo and Lassiter) in front of me, I’m able to look up to them,” Everette told DawgsHQ ahead of Georgia’s College Football Playoff matchup against Ohio State. “They’ve helped me a lot with my game, so I’ve taken stuff from them and tried to put it in and help my game. They’ve helped me improve a lot as a player and off the field too.”
Everette came in pretty good. He was considered to be the No. 33 overall player by the industry-generated On3 Consensus, just one spot outside of five-star status, and the No. 5 player for his position in the Class of 2022. Many places he would have stepped on the field and started right away, but at Georgia, he was able to sit back and learn the ways of others that have come before him.
The Norfolk, Va. native saw the field in 14 games this year. The only one he didn’t – an ugly one at Missouri – he still made the trip. Everette played 141 snaps on defense and 232 in total per Pro Football Focus with 13 tackles on the season include a career-high four versus Georgia Tech in the regular season finale.
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“College life to start, academic-wise, time management, that’s one thing you’ve really got to overcome when you first get to college from being in high school,” Everette said when asked about his improvement. “And then on the field, I feel like really, all around, overall I’ve improved and grown a lot.”
With Ringo off to the NFL, Everette should have a chance to compete for a starting spot in 2023. Last year it was Lassiter and Nyland Green considered to be the front runners for the spot opposite of Ringo with Everette in the back of everybody’s minds as an early enrollee. Now with a year of experience under his belt, he’s expected to be in the thick of things competing for the position opposite of Lassiter. That competition with Georgia’s other talented corners and development alongside them is something at excites Everette.
“We’re young and hungry and all wanting to compete,” Everette said about himself and the rest of the young Bulldogs defensive backs. “We’re just trying to do the best that we can in practice to help us develop and grow and improve throughout this season … I just want to be a more disciplined, more detailed player and be able to take on a bigger role. That’s important.”
