Javon Bullard done talking Ohio State hit, will continue playing physically

ATHENS, Ga. — Thursday marked the first day of fall camp for Javon Bullard and the Georgia Bulldogs, but a play from last season was brought up in his availability with media. Bullard and his collision with Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the third quarter of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has been quite the topic of conversation this offseason – especially in Ohio.

Bill Carollo, Big Ten Coordinator for Officials, shared last week at the conference’s media days that he didn’t think the correct call was made on the hit that knocked Harrison out of the contest. Instead of Ohio State having 1st and Goal with less than 30 seconds to play in the third quarter – and one of Georgia’s top defenders ejected from the game – the Buckeyes were forced to settle for a field goal. The kick gave them a 38-25 lead. Of course, Bullard and the Bulldogs stormed back, holding Ohio State to just three points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 42-41 win and a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has spoken about the play this offseason. So too has Harrison. Asked about it on Thursday, Bullard didn’t bite.

“I’m going to be honest, that play happened in December. That you’re still talking about it is really not my fault,” Bullard said. “We’ve moved on from that. We played another game after that. Going into another season, it’s over man. To be honest I don’t really have too much to say about that. It’s over and we’re looking on and preparing ourself for camp.”

Bullard has become known for his hard hits and toughness as a star on the Georgia defense. Last season, the sophomore defensive back finished fifth on the team in tackles with 46. He had a career-high eight stops, including 1.5 for loss, against the arch-rival Florida Gators and followed it up with seven, including 2.0 sacks, the next week versus the then-No.1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Bullard earned Defensive MVP honors in the Peach Bowl with a sack on Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud before going back-to-back with the title, intercepting TCU’s Max Duggan twice and recovering a fumble in the National Championship win over the Horned Frogs.

Javon Bullard is on to 2023.

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— DawgsHQ (@DawgsHQ) August 3, 2023

Standing at just 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Bullard isn’t the biggest. He wasn’t all too highly recruited out of Baldwin High School (Milledgeville, Ga.) either. However, he says the physicality has always been something he’s brought to the table.

“I don’t really know what goes on in other people’s heads when they’re playing the sport, but this game is physical,” Bullard said. “This place (Georgia) is physical. We just had a practice in spiders (jerseys, shorts, helmets, no pads) and it was still physical. And it’s always going to be like that. That’s not because of a certain player. That’s the standard that we withhold within this organization. This place is physical. It was physical before I got here. It’s going to be physical after I leave.”

“Just the physicality that we bring, I pride myself on that,” Bullard continued. “This game is physical, and that’s never going to change. You have to have that certain edge, that physicality — some guys aren’t as big as others. You’ve got to have a certain swagger, a certain ego about yourself, not in a bad way, but a sense that when you step on the field, this is the game that I love and the game that I’m going to continue to play. It’s just passion and energy man. I love this game, and that’s what you see on the field when I try to play my best, just passion and energy.”

Bullard and the Bulldogs open the season as Vegas favorites to bring home a third straight National Championship – something that hasn’t been done since the 1930s. Georgia hosts UT-Martin at Sanford Stadium to kick things off on September 2nd (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+/SECN+).