Making the Next Step: Kelee Ringo

Georgia cornerback, Kelee Ringo, came up huge for the Bulldogs defensively last season, and now heading into his third year with the team it is time for him to take the next step in his career.

At the beginning of last season, there was an ongoing battle between Ameer Speed and Kelee Ringo to see who was going to take over as the team's starting cornerback alongside Derrion Kendrick. About four games in, it became clear that Ringo had earned the rights to being the Bulldog's other starting cornerback despite him being just a redshirt freshman. Now heading into his third season with the team and Kendrick off to the NFL, it's time for Ringo to take that next step in 2022. 

Ringo showed consistent growth throughout the 2021 season, and by the end of the year, he became a very reliable defender for the Bulldogs. He even made the biggest play of Georgia's entire season in which he picked off Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, and took it to the house for six to put the game out of reach resulting in Georgia winning the National Championship. 

This next season, Ringo will be the headliner of Georgia's cornerback room as he will shift over to being the team's primary cornerback and one that the defense will rely on to make big plays in the secondary. A bit of a transition compared to the role that Ringo played on defense last year, but he is more than prepared to take on his new role. 

In 2021, Ringo appeared in 14 games for Georgia while also racking up 34 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections as well. There are a lot of positives and valuable in-game experience to build off of and after going through his third offseason at Georgia, he will only continue to improve. 

Ringo is entering a very crucial point in his career in regards to upping his NFL draft stock as he will be draft-eligible at the end of the upcoming season. In order to do so, Ringo will have to take that next step in his career and prove he can provide defensive consistency as a team's primary defensive back and be one of Georgia's most valuable defensive players during the 2022 season. 

The NFL is already well aware of the 6'2, 205-pound corner that had verified track times in the 10.5 range in the 100-meter before enrolling in college. He's been projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft by many experts. 

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