Kirby Smart announces that Georgia defensive back has been dismissed from the team

On Tuesday, during his media availability at SEC Media Days, Kirby Smart let reporters know that David Daniel-Sisavanh a former four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class and backup defensive back for the Bulldogs in 2023, has been dismissed from the team for a “violation of team rules.”

Smart did not elaborate on what Daniel-Sisavanh’s violation was, but after an offseason that saw Tykee Smith, Javon Bullard, and Kamari Lassiter move on to the NFL, the loss could be significant. 

Even with elite talents like Malaki Starks at safety, Georgia is lacking depth in the defensive backfield. JaCorey Thomas or Dan Jackson will likely emerge as the other starting safety opposite Starks, but last season Daniel-Sisavanh played 163 defensive snaps and a season-high 61 in Week 3 against South Carolina. 

In 2022, Daniel-Sisavanh played 165 snaps, a career-high in his sophomore season, but failed to emerge as a starter in the loaded secondary last season. He was a member of the back-to-back national championship teams, playing just four snaps in the 2021 College Football Playoff against Michigan and 17 snaps in the national championship blowout against TCU the next season. 

Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class included blue-chip defensive backs Ellis Robinson IV and KJ Bolden, who will help to offset the roster attrition, and Alabama transfer Jake Pope could be in the mix for more snaps with the dismissal of Daniel-Sisavanh.

This announcement from Smart comes on the same day that he addressed his team's three driving-related arrests this offseason. Daniel-Sisavanh was not one of the three players arrested.