Georgia football must find a way to replace Deandre Baker for 2019 after going in the first round of the NFL Draft. I chat with Mark Rogers on his YouTube channel and talk about who could step up in the secondary.
One of Georgia football’s area’s of concerns is the secondary. Losing Deandre Baker flat out sucks, but great players graduate, and teams have to move on and continue to develop other players.
The position is a concern because of the lack of experienced depth. While the starters will have some experience, this group is still pretty young.
Georgia has 15 defensive backs on the roster, and returning for the Dawgs is the top-two leading tacklers.
Richard LeCounte and J.R. Reed return as the two starting safeties and the leaders of the secondary.
LeCounte led the teams in tackles with 74 total. He had 45 solo and 29 assists, along with one tackle for loss, one interception, three breakups, and two forced and recovered fumbles.
Reed had 66 total tackles last season with 38 solo and 28 assists. He recorded one sack, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions, two breakups, and one quarterback hurry.
The Dawgs also returned Tyson Campbell who earned starting time as a freshman last season. However, he had a few freshmen tendencies, and Eric Stokes eventually took over in his spot.
Campbell recorded 45 total tackles. He had 29 solo, 16 assists, one breakup, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
However, someone I’m most excited about returning is Stokes. After finishing how he did last season, I hope he comes into this season with the same mentality and grit.
Stokes had 20 total tackles with 16 of them being solo grabs. He had one tackle for loss and nine pass break-ups. Stokes is someone I’m so excited to watch this season.
Three of those breakups came against Missouri when Dawg nation along with the coaches his spark of greatness. Then he recorded at least one breakup in each of the final five games.
The longer the season went on, the better Stokes got, I’m excited to see him earn some significant playing time this season.
Georgia also has JUCO transfer D.J. Daniel along with incoming freshmen, Lewis Cine, and Tyrique Stevenson from the 2019 class.
However, we cannot forget about Otis Reese, who could get some time at safety, along with Ameer Speed who had some shining moments last year. If Speed could get it all together, he would be a scary mismatch for offenses.
Then there is Divaad Wilson who got hurt and missed every game except the Texas one. I have high hopes that he will get some time on the field this year.
Georgia also has Mark Webb, someone who went from wide receiver to defensive back. He played in all 14 games and had 14 tackles. Webb is someone I think could burst onto the scene this year at the star position.
Tyrique McGhee better find a way to stay on the field, or he could lose his spot to a younger guy. Then there is Christopher Smith, William Poole, and Latavious Brini on the roster as well.
Georgia has a ton of talent in the secondary position and its time for them to step up and make some noise. There is no reason the Dawgs cannot be in the DBU talk with this group and 2019 could be the start of something special.