Kirby Smart commends Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo after first start

On Saturday, it almost seemed as though Georgia head coach Kirby Smart could have played anyone on his bench, and the No. 2 Bulldogs would still emerge victoriously. Practically everything went right for Smart in a 62-0 road victory over Vanderbilt, a game in which he had ample time to rest his starters after a 35-0 first-quarter lead.

Smart did use the opportunity against Vanderbilt to put some new faces on the field, and redshirt freshman Kelee Ringo was one, as the Tacoma, Washington native made his first-career start in the secondary. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive back redshirted and missed the entire 2020 season after recovering from off-season surgery, but the former five-star recruit has played in all four games for Georgia this season.

In his first-career start, Ringo had one tackle and two passes defended before Smart began to empty the bench, putting younger players in for the remainder of the blowout. Ringo and the Georgia secondary held both Vanderbilt quarterbacks, Mike Wright and Ken Seals, to just 24 passing yards on five-of-18 passing, and each signal caller threw a pickoff.

“Kelee has improved each week,” Smart said Saturday in Georgia’s postgame press conference. “He’s gained more confidence in our system. He’s cut down on his mental errors, and we think he’s going to be a good player. We’ve always thought that, and we’ve been trying to develop him and gain the confidence he needs.”

Ringo committed to Georgia in front of a national audience in 2020, after appearing in the 2020 All-American Bowl. He was a first-team All-American while at Saguaro High School by both USA Today and Sports Illustrated, and he entered Georgia as the consensus No. 1 overall cornerback prospect and No. 1 prospect in the state of Arizona.

“We need him to grow up and play well. We need Speed. We need DK, Kamari, all those corners,” Smart said of Ringo and the Georgia secondary. “They’ve got to grow up and play, as it’s one of the thinnest positions on our team. We were happy for him, and I’ll evaluate how he played when I look at the tape.”

So far, Georgia’s secondary has contributed to one of the best defensive units in the nation. While it’s mostly Georgia’s stout defensive front that commands the attention, Smart has assembled more than just a capable secondary. Ringo has contributed to the No. 1 defense in the country, as Georgia has allowed just 727 yards through four games, including an average of just 3.27 yards per game, and they have allowed just two touchdowns all season — despite playing then-No. 3 Clemson in Week 1, and two SEC opponents in South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Ringo and the Georgia secondary will have to continue disrupting opposing pass attacks next week, as the Bulldogs play host to the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks.