Georgia cornerback competition heats up ahead of G-Day

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia hosts its annual G-Day spring game this Saturday, giving fans an opportunity to see their two-time defending national champions in action ahead of the 2023 season. It’s as close to a dress rehearsal as the Bulldogs will get before opening the season in September, and because of that it’s a great evaluation tool for Kirby Smart and the coaches. One position they’ll be watching closely? Cornerback.

Kamari Lassiter has one of the spots locked down after starting all 15 games last season opposite of Kelee Ringo. But with Ringo off to the NFL, the spot opposite of Lassiter this season is up for grabs. Guys like Nyland Green and Daylen Everette were expected to be in the thick of things while the likes of Julian Humphrey and AJ Harris have risen to the occasion and pushed for playing time themselves. Then of course there’s the versatile Smoke Bouie, capable of playing all throughout the secondary but starting off his Georgia career this spring at outside corner after transferring in from Texas A&M.

“I would say Kamari has played well,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said when assessing the battle at cornerback. “He’s ahead, not where he needs to be in terms of needing to continue to grow and get better. The steps he’s been taking have been toward leadership and toughness. He’s showing people how to practice. There’s really open competition. Those guys roll through their Daylen (Everette), Nyland (Green), Julian Humphrey and really A.J. Harris and Deyon (Smoke Bouie). We’re trying to find out who is going to play the best, who can match with the guys.”

“A lot of it is not just who can make plays, but who isn’t going to give up explosive plays,” he continued. “Our defense is going to allow us to stop the run and do a lot of things, but who’s not going to give up plays on the perimeter. It’s similar to the three quarterbacks, all three have flashed, but who’s going to be the best after the next 26 practices we have, and I don’t know if we’re ready to say that yet. They’ve all had moments of success and they’ve all had moments of failure. Even today, a couple of those guys had picks and big plays, but they also gave up some plays.”

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Green has been on campus longest of the group. He and Lassiter were both members of Georgia’s 2021 signing class with Green ranking No. 3 among all cornerbacks according to the On3 Industry Ranking and coming in as a five-star (No. 17 overall, No. 2 cornerback) according to the On300. So far he’s seen action in 13 career games including 10 last season but hasn’t quite cracked the lineup on defense yet.

Then there’s the returning underclassmen. Everette and Humphrey both signed with the Bulldogs in 2022 and were true freshmen last season. Everette, who enrolled early last spring and got a head start on Humphrey, played in 14 of 15 games last season totaling 13 tackles. Meanwhile, Humphrey took a redshirt year and only appeared in three contests. Both however were top-10 cornerbacks and top-100 players according to the On3 Industry Ranking though so the talent differential isn’t as wide as it might seem.

Finally, the last group among the competitors for the open spot is the newcomers. Texas A&M transfer Smoke Bouie, a 2022 signee with the Aggies, and AJ Harris, the nation’s No. 3 cornerback in the Class of 2023 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, both are new faces and learning how things operate in Georgia’s defense. Still, they can’t be completely forgotten as they push for playing time early in their time in Athens.

Come Saturday, their big plays – both those that they are making and giving up – will be on display for fans at Sanford Stadium and watching on TV to see. G-Day typically turns into more of an air-show than a normal game might, not wanting to see anybody get hurt with the physical nature of ground and pound football, and that is likely to be the case again – especially with a trio of quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Conversely though, the cornerbacks will also get tested by the pass-happy nature of the spring scrimmage going up against a talented group of wide receivers including Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint plus transfer portal additions Dominic Lovett (Missouri) and Rara Thomas (Mississippi State).

Kickoff time for Saturday is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Due to construction, attendance at Sanford Stadium is limited and requires the purchase of a ticket on georgiadogs.com.