Pre-Camp Position Battle: Cornerback
Georgia Football entered the offseason with a big problem on their hands at cornerback. Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, Mark Webb, and DJ Daniel all declared for the NFL Draft, while Tyrique Stevenson transferred to Miami. Those five defensive backs accounted for the large majority of snaps played in the secondary.
In fact, Georgia was left without any starting experience. Even though the Dawgs have recruited well at cornerback over the last few seasons, most of those young players have never had the chance to start in Athens. For example, former five-star Kelee Ringo sat out his freshman season after surgery to repair a torn labrum. At the same time, another blue-chip prospect, Jalen Kimber, was buried on the depth chart.
There was never a question of talent at the position; the real question was the experience. Head coach Kirby Smart answered that question in June with the addition of former Clemson defensive back Derion Kendrick. Kendrick is a former All-ACC first-team cornerback who brings a lot of experience in the regular season and the playoffs.
Kendrick's arrival in Athens means he will likely be the No. 1 cornerback on the roster heading into 2021. He will likely win that opportunity matched up against freshmen and inexperienced reserve players.
That leaves a handful of younger, less experienced corners battling it out to play opposite Kendrick. Ameer Speed is the oldest option of them all. After spending the past three seasons in a reserve role, he will be among those looking for a spot.
Speed and redshirt freshman Kimber were the two first-team cornerbacks on G-Day. Both showed promise going up against the first-team offense. At the same time, Ringo was on the second-team defense because of the absence of true freshman Nyland Green. Green missed the G-Day scrimmage for a non-injury related reason, presumed to be COVID-19 related.
Green and Ringo came to Athens as highly-touted blue-chip cornerbacks who were two of the best defensive backs in their respective classes. Although Ringo did not see action in 2020 after surgery to repair his labrum, he was able to practice and dress out for the Peach Bowl.
With a year to fully focus on learning the playbook and taking mental reps from the sideline, Ringo will be a step ahead of the freshman Green in that aspect. Ringo brings all the physical tools as a corner. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he is one of the fastest players on the team and a picture of his speed during an offseason workout was posted at 21 miles per hour.
While the hype is high surrounding the redshirt freshman corner, Ringo will finally have his chance to prove himself in 2021 similar to the former four-star Green from Covington, Ga.
Green was one of 16 early enrollees this past winter, and sources say the former Newton High School standout measured in at nearly 6-foot-3 and ran in the 4.4 range during the Georgia mock pro day this summer. Green is a lengthy corner with elite-level ball skills. Green is a typical man-to-man corner who likes to jam his opponent at the line of scrimmage, and when the ball is in the air, he will look to make a play on the ball.
There is no doubting Green's ability as an athlete who is not only a corner. He could possibly cross-train at safety at some point in his career in Athens.
The transfer of Kendrick appears to be a smart one on Georgia's end as it now gives them experience at corner that they really didn't have heading into spring practice. Kendrick will likely be the mainstay on one side of the field like Eric Stokes was before him, with multiple guys rotating in and out on the opposite side early in the season to see who fits best.
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