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The 2025 college football season is still on the horizon, but University of Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart already views the cornerback group as one of the team’s most critical strengths. Coming off an 11-3 campaign in the 2024–2025 season—highlighted by an SEC Championship and a berth in college football’s first-ever 12-team expanded playoff—the Bulldogs were eliminated in the quarterfinal round with a 23-10 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl. Despite the early exit, the Bulldogs' secondary is emerging as a cornerstone for another national title run.
During the offseason, Smart pointed to the increased depth and development across the defensive backfield, with a particular spotlight on the corners. Veterans like Daylen Everette and Daniel Harris return to anchor the position, but it's the infusion of youth that has many around Athens optimistic. The push from underclassmen like Ellis Robinson IV and Demello Jones is creating healthy competition, while newcomers Jontae Gilbert and reclassified freshman Dominick Kelly have already made noise.
Smart’s confidence in the group is based on what he’s observed throughout the summer. In a report from Dawgs247’s Jordan Hill, the Bulldogs head coach—entering his 10th year leading his alma mater—said the cornerback unit has impressed from top to bottom.
“I think Donte Williams's done a really good job with all the corners. But those guys and Demello have gotten better and made more plays and tackled well. Dom, Jonate as young players both getting better. Those guys have done a tremendous job, and both of the two you mentioned [Robinson and Harris] have gotten better throughout the year.”
This growth is critical as the Dawgs defense prepares to offset potential growing pains on the other side of the ball. With Gunner Stockton taking over at quarterback and questions lingering around offensive consistency, the Bulldogs will need their defense to deliver championship-caliber play early in the season.
The cornerback room is at the center of that defensive surge. Kelly turned heads during spring practice, highlighted by an interception and a pass breakup in the G-Day scrimmage, while Robinson has continued to showcase the five-star talent he arrived in Athens with. Their progress validates Georgia’s elite recruiting pipeline and reinforces the program’s “next man up” mentality.
It also couldn’t come at a better time. In the second year of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format, depth across all units—especially in the secondary—could determine who advances deep into the postseason. And with matchups against Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss on the schedule, having a reliable and versatile cornerback rotation is no longer a luxury. It's a necessity.
