Kamari Lassiter, Nyland Green continuing to compete for starting spot in secondary
Georgia cornerbacks Kamari Lassiter and Nyland Green are in the thick of things when it comes to a competition for a starting spot opposite of Kelee Ringo. The two second-year players have battled dating back to spring – and probably even some last fall too – for positioning, and it doesn’t look like things are going to slow down anytime soon.
“Both of those kids are smart, savvy, tough, and physical. I love the way they tackle and play,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said last Saturday after the Bulldogs’ first scrimmage of the season. “I thought Nyland had some good physical tackles for him. Kamari is one of the best tacklers on the team, so it’s a lot more about covering at that position than tackling. Kamari did some nice things, gave up some plays. He had a really good day, the other day, where he made some plays on fade ball on A.D. (Mitchell). Kamari is fighting his tail off for that spot and helping us in some special teams spots. I’m very pleased with the growth of those guys. We won’t get through the year with just those three (Green, Lassiter and Ringo) though. We are going to have to have four and five corners to survive the season.”
Lassiter saw more action last season, playing in all 15 games as a reserve, primarily on special teams. He had 11 tackles in total including a season-high four stops in a win over Charleston Southern, the game he saw the most playing time in. Lassiter also had a pass breakup against the Buccaneers and recorded his first interception earlier in the season versus Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile, Green was the higher rated of the two coming out of high school. An On3 five-star – and the No. 2 ranked cornerback in the country – from Newton High School in Covington, Ga., Green only saw action in three games last season. He had two tackles against UAB before seeing some snaps versus Vanderbilt and Charleston Southern.
But as Smart points out, Georgia needs more than just two or three at the spot, so even the odd man out of Lassiter and Green on a starting job is going to get to play. Freshmen Daylen Everette, Jaheim Singletary and Julian Humphrey could get valuable playing time early in their careers too.
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Georgia super-senior Christopher Smith seems to have his spot at safety secured elsewhere in the secondary. With him having been on the field for important snaps throughout his career, he knows what good cornerback play looks like. That’s why he’s a great person to ask about what he’s seen in Lassiter and Green as they battle for the starting spot.
“Both of those guys are doing a great job throughout this whole camp. They’re competing very well,” Smith said. “All of our corners are competing very well. Coach Fran (Brown), he does a good job with those guys, trying to bring them along. There’s going to be a lot of competition throughout the rest of this camp and the rest of the season.”
Like Smith said, the competition isn’t likely to end with the first game. If you need proof, just look at last season. Ameer Speed started the first three games at corner before Ringo stepped into the spot. That allowed the coaches to not only see them face off with the wide receivers that they go against every day in practice, but also some unfamiliar faces from other teams. Speed and Ringo rotated opposite of Derion Kendrick. It shouldn’t come as a surprise of Lassiter and Green do the same this season.
As for now though, Lassiter and Green will get another chance to play in front of the Georgia coaches this weekend in a game-like atmosphere. The Bulldogs host their second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
