Kamari Lassiter coming into his own in Georgia cornerback role

Some were skeptical about Georgia’s depth at cornerback coming into the season. The Bulldogs lost Derion Kendrick during the offseason to the NFL, and while the No. 1 role was clearly set to be held down by Kelee Ringo, the No. 2 spot was up for grabs between Kamari Lassiter, Nyland Green and several other young defensive backs. Six games into the 2022 season, it seems that the Bulldogs have found an emerging star in the sophomore cornerback Lassiter.

At 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, Lassiter has shown off both physicality and agility at cornerback, totaling 15 tackles and half of a sack so far. Earlier this week, Lassiter explained how far he’s been able to come this season in his role as a starter.

“I’d say starting off from game one, I had a little bit of nerves. Coming in, my first start, and then as the season progresses, you just get better,” Lassiter said this week. “We’re practicing reps and learning the defense better and better. So I’d say that my progress has been pretty good, but I have a long way to go still.”

While Lassiter has had to learn the defense and prepare himself for the grind of SEC play, he’s had the help of some of the veterans in Georgia’s defensive back room. Ringo shared advice with him, as did a couple of the older safeties.

“So far, definitely Kelee, Dan (Jackson), Chris (Smith), those are the older guys in the room you know. We’ve just been really following Chris’s lead. He’s been one of the guys who’s been here for a long time and he knows,” Lassiter said. “He’s played a lot of football here and he’s been stepping up along with Kelee and Dan. Just taking us up under his wing.”

Kirby Smart has also noticed the effort that Lassiter is putting in on and off of the field to get better. That wasn’t something that just started this season though. Smart recalled that it was one of the things that made him an attractive recruit to the Georgia coaching staff.

“Kamari’s really tough, competitive. Great leader, great kid, You know, 4.0 type student in high school,” Smart said. “We recruited him for a long time, we knew his high school coach as well. He came over and camped with us, sent videos to us during COVID. Just a lot of respect for the way he competes and carries himself. He’s got a tremendous family and a Georgia background. He’s played good and he could probably tell you himself he’s got a lot of areas he can improve in, but he’s a good football player. He tackles well, he’s smart, and he listens. We’re proud of what he’s done for our team.”

Smart was also asked about Lassiter’s “missed coverages,” in particular, the following third down completion given up against the Missouri Tigers was referenced. However, he immediately refuted this claim, reinforcing his confidence in Lassiter and knowledge of the defense.

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— Jack Mathison (@JackMathison9) October 13, 2022

“He’s not one to miss coverages. I mean you said that, not me. I didn’t say he misses coverages, because I don’t think Kamari misses many coverages,” Smart said. “He might get beat, but there’s a big difference in a missed coverage and a one-on-one when you play football and you play out on that island. You guys don’t notice when the d-tackle gets blocked. They get blocked every play. You guys notice when a corner doesn’t make a play or maybe gets beat. But he understands that. He knows that every day at practice, he’s on an island. And you live on that lonely place and you have to play the next play because if it’s going to take your confidence to get beat once, you won’t last long.”

“I don’t really remember, it was a couple of games ago,” Lassiter said when asked about that play, along with the pass interference penalty he was called for on the next play. “You know, as a corner, I mean as a DB and as a defensive player in general, you have a next-play mentality. So it was already in the back of my mind.”

Lassiter and the Bulldogs take on Vanderbilt this Saturday for the homecoming game at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.