Georgia Football: Cornerbacks Depth Chart Review
We are nearing the end of our positional depth chart review series here on The Bulldog Maven, and after taking a look at the outside linebackers room, I genuinely didn't believe there could be a position riddled with more depth.
Though, if there were a position on the defense that can compete with the OLB's, it's got to be the cornerbacks. Today, we take a look at just how crowded these three positions are — two corners, and the STAR — and who we believe might when the job when Georgia football returns.
We will start with the STAR position because whoever wins that battle will likely impact the rest of the positions a bit.
STAR
Some may think the "STAR" position is just a fancy way of saying "Slot Corner." And though they do line up in the slot, playing this position requires much more than being able to cover. Kirby Smart and Dan Lanning's defensive scheme requires run responsibilities from these individuals as well. Not only that, but they are also involved in the blitz packages. To put it simply, often times this position is reserved for an extremely versatile defender. You're combining corner coverage skills from oftentimes safety depth, with linebacking run responsibilities.
We started here because there's just no way of knowing where Tyrique Stevenson is going to land. If he does win the starting job at STAR — like we have predicted he will — then that clears a bit of space at the traditional corner spot. If Mark Webb was healthy last season, he got the start, with Divaad Wilson backing him up. Both are exceptionally talented and have experience at the position. So, the loss of valued practice time this spring has certainly hindered the chances that Stevenson does indeed win this position battle in the fall.
DB, Tyrique Stevenson
Add on top the fact that Georgia brought in the nation's top corner in 2020, Kelee Ringo along with Jalen Kimber and you've got reasons to move Stevenson to the STAR.
*Major Burns fits the STAR mold. If you combine his versatility on tape, with the fact that Georgia was packing weight on him faster than a kid chasing an ice cream truck, you've got yourself someone that is adding collegiate run responsibilities to his plate.
CB, Eric Stokes
Cornerback
Georgia doesn't travel corners across the field or follow the opposition's top receiver. One corner plays on the left side of the field the whole game, one plays on the right. So we are going to simply rank the remaining corners in order here.
There are several questions heading into next season with this position, but there's one known factor. Eric Stokes Jr. will be one of the starting corners, but who will the other be? Will Tyson Campbell change positions? Does DJ Daniel continue to play as well as he did last season? Will Kelee Ringo be in the hunt to start? What about Jalen Kimber?
If you've followed any of my work, you know how highly I think of Kelee Ringo. And you also know that the corner position is one of the few where you don't have a 500-page playbook. It's man. It's zone.
This allows talented young players to go out there and play free and fast. Ringo is the best man to man corner coming out of high school that Georgia has ever signed. He will have an adjustment period as all freshmen do, but Georgia plays roughly 50% of their snaps in man to man on the outside especially early in football games. So, you will likely see Mr. Ringo on the field sooner rather than later.
- Eric Stokes Jr.
- DJ Daniel
- Kelee Ringo
- Tyson Campbell
- Tyrique Stevenson*
- Ameer Speed
- Jalen Kimber
Tyson Campbell spent the majority of last year working through a turf toe injury and by the time he returned to full health around the Missouri game, DJ Daniel had a firm grasp of the spot opposite of Eric Stokes Jr. The former 5-star is immensely talented and certainly needs to be on the field for Georgia this fall. Which is why at 6'2, 200+ pounds, with a physical and aggressive disposition on the field, the move to Safety could make sense. Bottom line, he's going to excel wherever he's at.
