Projected depth chart for Georgia's defensive back room

ASFN Admin · Mar 14, 2026

The Georgia Bulldogs' secondary could be their most interesting and contentious position group from the team. The group allowed the 36th-lowest passer rating in the nation last year, which is solid, but not up to Georgia's standards from the beginning of the decade. As a result, there will be a lot of new faces in the secondary.

They shuffled some parts around through the transfer portal, looking to replace departing starters through the draft (Daylen Everette), eligibility (JaCorey Thomas), or the transfer portal (Joenel Aguero, Dominick Kelly, Ondre Evans, Daniel Harris, Adrian Maddox and Jaden Harris). Time will tell if the Bulldogs made the right moves, but it's a fascinating position battle.

Snap counts come from PFF's premium plan (subscription needed). PFF Passer Rating Allowed is scaled to NFL standards vs. college football

Boundary Corner

This was a contentious position entering the 2025 season, with Daylen Everette and Daniel Harris starting the year in these positions. Unfortunately, Harris didn't pan out. He allowed two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating (PFF uses NFL passer rating) against Tennessee in Week 3, so he was benched.

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Eventually, that led to former five-star Ellis Robinson IV taking over as the lead boundary corner. He had 461 snaps as a sideline corner, which ranked second on the team to Everette. Redshirt freshman DeMello Jones had the third-most snaps at the boundary, with 276. However, he did struggle at the end of the season, including allowing four receptions for 70 yards, a touchdown, and a perfect passer rating against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.

It's more than likely that Robinson IV and Jones start the season as the two boundary corners, but don't be surprised if Oklahoma transfer Gentry Williams gets snaps as well. Williams allowed just a 68.4 passer rating for the Sooners last season. Unfortunately, injuries have undone Williams for most of his career. He's been limited to just eight games in the past two seasons due to season-ending injuries.

Outside of those three, USC transfer Braylon Conley and incoming freshman Caden Harris will shore up the depth. They still have at least two years of eligibility left, so Georgia has more time to develop them into shutdown corners.

Nickel Corner

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Joenel Aguero was the primary nickel back for the 2025 season. He played in all regular season games, but he suffered an injury that took him out for both the SEC championship and the CFB quarterfinals.

As a result, freshman Rasean Dinkins took over, and he performed admirably. He allowed just a 79.2 pro passer rating against Alabama. It's more than likely Dinkins was the succession plan all along, so with Dinkins taking over the starting role, Aguero transferred to Ole Miss.

Dinkins should start the season at nickel corner, but redshirt senior Zion Branch should get a look in the slot. He had 30 snaps in the nickel last season, although he had more snaps in the box and as a free safety. Redshirt junior Kyron Jones was listed as second on the depth chart behind Dinkins, so he should be considered as well, despite just 18 snaps at nickel last season. Jones missed a lot of time last season with a foot injury.

Free Safety

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There's an obvious answer to who's going to be Georgia's free safety: KJ Bolden. The former five-star from Buford High School has quickly developed into one of the best free safeties in the league. Bolden had an 85.9 PFF grade and allowed just a 46.2 passer rating, according to PFF.

Bolden was lined up everywhere, with over 100 snaps in the box, FS, and slot. He might still have room to develop in his coverage skills, but Bolden should be in contention for an All-American selection next season. Barring an injury, he will be the starter at free safety.

Behind him, Georgia brought in Clemson free safety Khalil Barnes. He could get snaps if Bolden goes down with injury. Behind him, Zion Branch and redshirt freshman Todd Robinson will take snaps too.

Strong Safety

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This spot is the most contentious on Georgia's roster. With JaCorey Thomas gone, Georgia could go in several directions at strong safety.

Eastern Carolina transfer Ja'Marley Riddle might have the lead. Riddle had more snaps at FS last season than box safety (366 vs. 281), but he still has major experience at both, and he had more snaps at box vs. FS in 2024 (322 vs. 161)

Riddle is Georgia's most experienced starter out of the transfers, but there are questions on whether his play will transfer to Power 4 football. If it doesn't, the Bulldogs could start Barnes instead. Redshirt freshman Daniel Okonkwo should get a look in a game.

Overall, Georgia invested heavily in the secondary through the transfer portal. That's given them depth and a lot of players to work with in case injuries happen.