The Georgia Bulldogs struggled a little on defense last season, well by the standards of Georgia. Georgia's struggles on defense would be some of the best defenses for other teams, but when the Bulldogs have been so dominant on defense for so many years, last season certainly was not their best.
It seems however that the Bulldogs are planning to fix that in the 2025 season and Kirby Smart is pretty high on one former five-star cornerback who he is hoping will have a break out year. Ellis Robinson is someone that seems to be making a impact in fall camp and was even named a second-year breakout player by ESPN for the 2025 season.
Smart however, isn't just praising Robinson, he is also making sure to point out that he still has some work to do and what he needs to continue to improve upon.
"He's improved, he's worked really hard, he competes in practice," Smart said of Robinson. "He play's physical, he doesn't always do it, he needs to do it more consistently, but he is not shy or afraid of contact and he's got ball skills, he makes plays on the ball a lot and that's a big part of being a corner."
Kirby Smart makes it very clear with where things stand on Ellis Robinson and what needs to happen. https://t.co/PHf492tKsa pic.twitter.com/A2CQThX1aS
— Connor Riley (@Kconnorriley) August 13, 2025
Smart talked about how Robinson has come in and just tried to be the best version of himself, just like any high school guy coming in tries to be. With 50% of the roster coming in as a first or second year, Smart tells them to work hard and expect to play, not everyone may, but they should work to be the best versions of themselves or else why are they at Georgia.
Robinson came to Georgia as a former five-star recruits who was ranked the No. 2 player in the Class of 2024, the No. 1 cornerback in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of Florida, according to 247Sports. When it came to the ESPN 300 rankings, he was the No. 1 player on that list so there were high expectations for him.
While Robinson got limited playing time in his first season playing games against Clemson, Tennessee Tech, and Mississippi State, he didn't fully live up to what the expectations were in year one. Now in year two, while he may not start the game, he is expected to get heavy playing time in the nickel position to be a lock down corner on the perimeter.
Robinson has great length, speed and ball skills, but he is playing at a place where everyone has that on the defense, so he has to work hard to stand out and it seems like he is doing just that in fall camp right now.