ATHENS — KJ Bolden has gotten plenty of buzz only days into the start of preseason camp. But he’s not the only 5-star freshman defensive back worth keeping tabs on for Georgia.
Ellis Robinson also is doing his best to make an immediate impact with the Bulldogs.
“Ellis, his approach in fall camp has been what it needs to be in terms of attacking,” co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said. “I think that he’s attacked his personal conditioning and everything else to be able to maximize his ability. I don’t mean that to say that he wasn’t, but there’s a lot of demands on that position to be able to be at your best every snap. I think the way he’s approached that has given him an opportunity to compete in camp. He has to continue to do that.”
Robinson actually was a higher-ranked recruit than Bolden, as Robinson finished the 2024 recruiting cycle as the No. 2 overall prospect. Like Bolden, Robinson enrolled early at Georgia in hopes of getting a jump-start on his playing career.
The big difference between Bolden, a safety, and Robinson, a cornerback, at this point may be those around each talented freshman. Georgia is not as deep at safety as it is at cornerback, where Daylen Everette, Daniel Harris and Julio Humphrey all return. Georgia actually moved Chris Peal from cornerback to safety this preseason as well.
While those three veterans have an undeniable leg up on Robinson in terms of time in the Georgia system, Robinson is doing his best to make it a real competition.
“Everybody is kind of still growing,” Schumann said. “I think when you look at them, you have to be able, to play corner in college football you have to be able to not only get guys that can man-to-man cover a guy, but be able to show up in the run game, perimeter block destruction for bubble screens, and be a good tackler. That’s really what we need out of that position in general is to be able to be successful in man to man, play the ball down the field, and still be able to be a factor in the perimeter block destruction game and tackling.”
Georgia does have to replace two-year starter Kamari Lassiter, a cornerback who was taken in the second round of the NFL draft by the Houston Texans. The Bulldogs haven’t had a freshman start at cornerback since Tyson Campbell did so during the 2018 season.
There’s a level of risk in starting a freshman in the secondary, often because they’re the last line of defense.
“The margin of error is very small back there,” said Travaris Robinson, Georgia safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. “When you make a mistake, it’s seven points. When you’re a defensive lineman and you jump out of your gap, a linebacker has a chance to tackle him. When you’re a linebacker and you miss the tackle, well, the safety has a chance to tackle him. If the safety is a guy who hasn’t played a lot of ball or doesn’t feel like he can get it done or makes a mistake or something like that, it’s seven points.”
Ellis Robinson already has made a handful of plays through the first few practices. Those on hand to watch Sunday’s practice took note of an incredible interception that Robinson came down with.
But for every step forward, there’s also a step back. Robinson was spotted at practice Tuesday with his right wrist heavily wrapped. That didn’t stop him from participating in practice, but it does only further illustrate how much tougher the game is at the college level.
Even for someone who excelled at IMG Academy, as Robinson did.
“Those guys are going against some of the best athletes in the country,” Travaris Robinson said. “They’re doing a good job of trying their best to hold their own. But it’s a lot. It’s a big learning curve, it really is. There is a big difference between high school and college. And those guys are learning to do things the right way and do it the right time. Because they’ve always been the best athlete but it’s different when you get to college. The higher you go up in sports, the competition becomes so much greater.”
Robinson still has plenty of time to narrow the gap between himself and the older corners, with Georgia’s first game of the season set to take place Aug. 31 against Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
