The Georgia Bulldogs' secondary ranked among the best last season, but they have since lost three of their key starters to the NFL.
That means a lot will fall on returning and experienced safety Malaki Starks and cornerback Daylen Everette. However, they can't handle the workload themselves.
There's a chance five-star recruit safety KJ Bolden could get the start against the Clemson Tigers this weekend over senior Dan Jackson if head coach Kirby Smart thinks he's ready. Meanwhile, sophomore Daniel Harris or redshirt sophomore Julian Humphrey will start at outside cornerback job opposite Everette. And sophomore and Joenel Aguero redshirt sophomore Corey Thomas will share nickel duties.
But regardless of who lines up when and where against Clemson, Starks made it clear that there shouldn't be any doubts about the Bulldogs' secondary ahead of their noon p.m. ET kickoff time on Saturday.
“I’m very confident, you know? Like I said earlier, you put in the work and the preparation to prepare you for the moment," Starks said of Georgia's secondary this week. "That’s what you’ve got to fall back on. We like to say bleed in training until you don’t bleed in battle . We’ve worked through ups and downs and stuff like that, but I feel very confident.”
Coach Smart isn't afraid to throw young or inexperienced players into the fire, because that's what they've trained all offseason for and how they will really learn.
Starks knows Kirby's ways all too well after he started Georgia's season opener against Oregon in 2022 as a true freshman.
That game worked out well for him as he recorded his first interception. So, naturally, Starks has taken on a leadership role and has been giving the less experienced guys some advice leading up to the big game.
“I’ve just been telling the same thing people were telling me,” Starks said. “You know, just take it day by day, play by play. See it a little, don’t see too much. You only get one shot. Just enjoy it while you got it and just be calm. You know you’re not out there by yourself, you know you got plenty of other guys with you.”
Georgia nor Clemson released their depth chart this week and have zero plans to do so until the morning of the game. So, until then, Bulldogs fans will just have to keep guessing who gets the starting nod, though they shouldn't lose any more sleep over the secondary.
Related: Clemson HC Dabo Swinney raves about Georgia's Kirby Smart, Carson Beck ahead of Alfac Kickoff Game
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