Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: Day 36
We’re a little over a month out of Georgia kickoff, and the number 36 had me thinking about some old friends in new places.
I’m thinking about those who were with the Bulldogs last season for the championship run and opted for other pastures after the season.
Now perhaps there isn’t a ton of nostalgia for all of these guys in Athens, but circumstances vary widely for their reasons for departure.
It could’ve been for an expanded role they were seeking. Perhaps they saw the writing on the wall in regards to what was behind them. It may have been as simple as not fitting into the Georgia roster any longer.
Still, those guys were members of a team that will go down in college football history for all of time, so let’s throw it back to them a bit and give a final nod to their services before the page fully turns to the new season. Then, they become the enemy.
I even provided you a little soundtrack should you care to turn it on while reminiscing on those who’ve moved along.
Of course, what sparked me thinking about this one Day 36 was Latavious Brini.
No. 36 last year, Brini played in 13 games for the Bulldogs and started 11, largely holding down the star role for most of the year.
His eight pass breakups were second on the team, and he hit his career high of five tackles three times in the championship run against Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee.
Not a bad group to have career highs against if you want to endear yourself to Georgia fans.
With a super senior year still available from the COVID season, Brini decided to look beyond Athens for his next chapter and united with a couple of familiar faces (Sam Pittman and Scott Fountain) in Fayetteville, where he’ll likely see a good amount of time for the Razorbacks.
Brini wasn’t alone in terms of defensive backfield transfers.
Ameer Speed was also in 13 of 15 games for the Bulldogs, starting the opening three of the season.
A frequent appearer in the Georgia secondary for years, Speed chose to head to East Lansing after the season, reuniting with the man who recruited him to the Classic City, Spartans head coach Mel Tucker. As with Brini, we expect an expanded role for him at Michigan State that likely wasn’t going to come in Athens.
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Receiver Jermaine Burton quickly left for Alabama, a move that still seems to steam the masses in Dawg Nation.
Lovasea Carroll opted for South Carolina, where he’ll likely get a chance at being a running back as opposed to the defensive back Georgia asked of him.
Impact walk-on receiver Jaylen Johnson found a home with East Carolina, and fellow receiver Justin Robinson is a Bulldog of a different breed in joining Mike Leach at Mississippi State.
Quarterback JT Daniels, meanwhile, is on his third collegiate team and hopes to make some noise with the Mountaineers of West Virginia.
And perhaps in the move that will be least forgiven, cornerback Jalen Kimber joined the Florida Gators in what felt like a real head scratcher of a relocation.
At any rate, they were all Dawgs once, and for a key moment in time, they were part of the fabric of a National Championship season.
To them, we see farewell and buckle up your chin strap a bit tighter when the Dawgs come to town. They’ll be the ones doing the hunting…
