Georgia sending special secondary class to NFL leaving big shoes to fill this fall

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s sending a special group of defensive backs off to the NFL this spring. It’s a statement Kirby Smart said feels like he’s making on an almost annual basis with guys like Christopher Smith, Kelee Ringo, Lewis Cine, Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell and others representing recent departures from the Bulldog secondary. This year, the group going pro is a trio that’s combined for 70 career starts in just two seasons: Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith. While all individually bring something unique to the table, it’s the collective nature of their success in the secondary that’ll make replacing them a challenge.

“I think they’re all very versatile,” Smart said when asked about what the defensive backs will bring to their new teams in the NFL. “They can all play safety. They can all play STAR. They can all probably play corner, at least a couple of those guys have done that in their careers. It’s a great group, but I feel like we’ve said that every year. We’re going to have another great group next year of defensive backs that have an opportunity. We’ve gotta keep replacing them. That’s the hard thing. It makes it a lot tougher when there’s two third-year juniors coming out. It’s much tougher to replace.”

Lassiter is one of those third-year juniors Smart speaks of. He arrived as a freshman in 2021 and took time to develop. That season, his contributions to the National Championship winning team were on special teams or in blowouts. However, with time, Lassiter quickly became one of the nation’s top players for his position.

“He’s going to be a tremendous player, no matter where they play him,” Smart said about Lassiter, a projected late first rounder or second round pick. “He can play the nickel slot. He can play safety. He can play corner. He’s a ball hawk. He’s super competitive.”

“Some people have a knack for finishing and getting the ball out. That’s one thing he’s got a really good knack for finishing on the ball and getting the ball out,” he added. “Corners are hard to find. It’s a throw-first league, so you’ve gotta find guys that can cover man-to-man. He has the ability to do that.”

Where Lassiter is the highest projected pick in the Georgia secondary, Smith comes in as the lowest. However, there aren’t many players that have helped themselves more during the pre-draft process than the fifth-year senior.

After playing two seasons at an All-American level at West Virginia, Smith entered the transfer portal and found his new home in Athens. Injuries derailed that first season in 2021, and in 2022, he took a backseat role to Bullard at the STAR spot. Come 2023 though, it was Smith that finished as the team’s leader in tackles, tackles for loss and interceptions – proving himself as a playmaker on the Georgia defense.

“I’m happy for Tykee. He’s worked really hard,” Smart said about Smith. “He had a significant injury. When you have a significant injury, sometimes it takes two years to come back from that. He’s a guy that, first year back, he wasn’t as ready to play as he was this year. He had an outstanding year this year, he expected to. He ran well. He’s a fierce competitor.”

Bullard isn’t to be forgotten about either. Finding his replacement at safety won’t be easy, and filling the shoes of his leadership and tone-setting ability might be even more difficult.

“You’re getting a dog. Really just a guy that’s going to give 110% no matter where he plays, a guy that’s going to bring value to your team on and off the field,” Bullard said about himself. “You’re going to get an asset, not a liability. I’m going to help your team in many more ways than I’m going to hurt your team. I just want everybody to know that and know the person they’re getting.”

Like Smart said, he’s of the belief he’ll be singing the praises of next year’s group in the secondary too come Pro Day, and he’s probably right. Thorpe Award finalist Malaki Starks is expected to be an early pick in 2025, potentially a first rounder and the first safety off the board, while guys like Daylen Everette and Julian Humphrey return for another season of contributing at cornerback. There are others too, however, before we’re talking about sending them off to the NFL, they’ll first have to fill the shoes of those that depart this fall with Lassiter, Smith and Bullard saying goodbye to Georgia at their Pro Day.