Georgia Fall Camp Position Battle: Cornerback
With the decision to return for his senior season, Daylen Everette’s name is essentially written in pen on the depth chart for Georgia this coming season.
Like he did last season, Everette will man one side of the field as an outside corner. The competition for his running mate, however, is up for grabs.
After losing veteran safeties in Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson to the NFL, Georgia returns experience at the corner and star positions. In addition to Everette, the Bulldogs bring back starting star Joenel Aguero and fellow cornerback Daniel Harris.
Harris, the junior, emerged as Georgia’s starter opposite Everette for Georgia’s final four games following Julian Humphrey’s benching. However, even with the head start in terms of experience, he is still facing competition from Ellis Robinson and Demello Jones.
What We Learned in the Spring
With Everette limited throughout spring practice following shoulder surgery, Robinson and Jones got plenty of reps working with the Bulldogs’ first-team defense.
That included the annual G-Day game, where all three played, with Harris and Robinson featuring together on Georgia’s first-team defense. Jones, meanwhile, got reps with both defenses but primarily featured on the Red team.
Harris capped off his spring with a strong performance in front of a live crowd. He totaled four tackles and intercepted a pass from quarterback Gunner Stockton.
“I think he’s competing harder. I think it matters to him more,” Smart said of Harris following G-Day. “He sees two really good players at the corner position with him, with Demello and Ellis, and he’s competed really hard.”
Meanwhile, Robinson and Jones both recorded two tackles in their efforts in the spring game.
“Demello had a really good spring, …” Smart said following G-Day. “All three of those corners have gotten better. I think Donte’s done a great job with them, having a lot of confidence in those guys and the wideouts made some plays today.”
Being a former five-star prospect, much is already being expected out of Robinson. He played in just four games as a true freshman, which was a stark contrast from the expectations that were put on him.
“The hardest lesson that I had to learn from my freshman year, I’d probably say, was being patient,” Robinson said in the spring. “Because yeah, I wanted to be out there on the field, but at the end of the day, I knew that my time was coming.”
That time to compete is now, as he will enter his second fall camp with a chance to earn real playing time for the Bulldogs this season.
Who Do We See Winning Out?
In the past, in these sorts of position battles, the starting nod has always seemed to go to the veteran at the beginning of the season.
Look no further than Jackson starting over Starks in the 2022 season opener versus Oregon before the latter proved he deserved the job playing next to Christopher Smith. Before that, in 2021, Ameer Speed was Georgia’s starting outside cornerback before Kelee Ringo beat him out.
There are numerous other examples of veteran players getting every chance to win these battles until the younger player takes over. That’s why it seems Harris will be the starter opposite Everette to kick off the season.