Georgia cornerback competition still unsettled after spring
Georgia came into the spring with an open spot at cornerback opposite of Kamari Lassiter. The Bulldogs leave the spring the same way after seeing Nyland Green, Julian Humphrey and Daylen Everette all get a crack at the spot.
“It’s a work in progress. We kind of rolled guys through there today. I’d be remiss if I said somebody stood out. I didn’t think anybody really stood out at that position,” Smart said when speaking with reporters on Saturday after Georgia’s spring game. “They’ll continue to battle for it. We’ve got some more guys coming that will continue to battle for it. We’ve been there before. We’ve been going into the season where we’re trying to make decisions. There’s about 25 percent of the hay in the barn. There’s 75 percent of practices left. That includes our summer workouts and our fall camp workouts. In that 75 percent, we’ve got to climb the ladder and get some guys that can play winning football at that position.”
Green is the oldest of the group having spent two seasons on campus. He has seen action in 13 career contests including 10 last season with three tackles and a pass deflection in 2022. The other two have just one year of experience each. Everette arrived early and got a head start on the other cornerback in his Class of 2022. As a result, he saw the field in 14 games, making 13 tackles while also breaking up a pass against South Carolina. His season-high for stops came against Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, Humphrey played in just three games and did not record a stat, but rose up the ranks this spring.
“Those guys, they’re just hungry. They want to get better every day,” Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter said this spring. “They want to learn from their mistakes. You know, they just want to do anything to make the team better, really.”
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With spring practice now over, attention turns to finishing out the spring semester. The transfer portal is open, but with competition still ongoing, it’d be somewhat surprising to see any of the three leave. Then, after that it’s on to summer workouts and the arrival of the rest of the Class of 2023, including a trio of players expected to play cornerback for the Bulldogs. Early enrollee AJ Harris – plus Justyn Rhett who made the move to safety this spring – will be joined by Daniel Harris, Chris Peal and Kyron Jones come summer.
As for Green, Humphrey and Everette though, their focus won’t be on any freshman. Instead, they’ll be gunning to get a starting spot for themselves, continuing to develop their games through the player-led 7-on-7 sessions and into the start of fall camp.
