Javon Bullard, Georgia secondary ready to reload on back of culture

ATHENS, Ga. — Javon Bullard won Defensive MVP of the National Championship Game last time we saw him in action, forcing a trio of turnovers with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the first half of a 65-7 win over TCU. As the Bulldogs get back on the practice field this spring however, Bullard says he’s the same guy and is eager to do whatever he can to help Georgia go for another national title.

“I’m still the same person. I’m still eating off the floor,” Bullard said. “Coach Smart preaches that nobody is entitled to anything. So, it’s the same mindset I had last year. You either stay hungry or get complacent, and complacent’s just not in my DNA. I’m still eating, I’m still hungry.”

Bullard has worked all around in the secondary. He says it’s a part of the typical procedure for Georgia players in the spring – to cross train at multiple positions. The Milledgeville, Ga. native and Baldwin County product spent the majority of last season at STAR and likely will play there again, but he’s ready to step in at safety or corner if called upon to help replace Chris Smith and Kelee Ringo.

“The more you know, the more value you have to this team,” Bullard said. “We all get looks at different positions. Safety, corner, STAR, whatever it takes to help this team get better.”

Bullard was asked about the effort to replace Smith and Ringo, and he name dropped a couple of guys. Deyon Bouie comes in as a transfer from Texas A&M, and he’s taken the same path as Bullard working all over. As for the corners, Nyland Green, Daylen Everette and Julian Humphrey are back and competing for the spot opposite of returning starter Kamari Lassiter while early enrollees AJ Harris and Justyn Rhett, plus safety Joenel Aguero, look to get settled. Then there are the safeties where Malaki Starks is expected to lead by example for whoever ends up next to him.

“I’ve always got a big smile on my face when I talk about Malaki. The ski is the limit for him. He’s going to be one of these guys going through the Combine, going through Pro Day within two years. I see him as a three-and-out guy, he’s that special, and y’all are going to continue to see that,” Smith said at his Pro Day this week. “He’s super athletic, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, very motivated to be great at this game. I see a lot of myself in him. On top of that he’s a freak athlete, and when you put all those things together, it’s a formula for a great player … He’s (Bullard) right there with Malaki. Freak athlete, one of the guys that has a great passion for the game. That’s just a part of the culture we’ve built here, and those are the kind of guys we want to bring in here. Javon, Kamari (Lassiter), Malaki, David Daniel, you’ve got some good freshmen coming in. The culture that we’ve built around here, it ain’t going to stop.”

“Guys are learning, eager to learn. This DB room, the team period, we’re eating off the floor. You get really get complacent. Kelee was a great player along with Chris. He did what he had to do here, and those guys are on to bigger and better things. But it’s still next man up mentality whether that’s safety position or corner position,” Bullard added. “Great players leave Georgia all the time, and great players come up in Georgia all the time. It’s always that next man up mentality … We’re just looking for that next guy to come in and fill in. Who is that guy? Not really sure. We’ll see.”

Bullard says he wants to keep learning too. He has big goals and big plans for himself and the team in 2023. If he accomplishes them, Bullard very well could be on his way to the next level this time next year and we could be talking about replacing him next offseason, just like we are and he is with Smith and Ringo this year.

“Guys paved the way for guys like myself. The standard is going to be the standard, and when I leave, the standard is still going to be the standard,” Bullard said. “That’s the best part about this organization. The standard doesn’t change, the people do.”