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Georgia has plenty of work to do within the secondary this spring, especially at defensive back.
Starters Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith are off to the 2024 NFL draft following outstanding careers as Bulldogs. The questions remains where Kirby Smart and staff will turn to make up for the lost production.
One of the talented players that has an inside shot at seeing snaps at either safety or nickelback, referred to as STAR in UGA’s nomenclature, is rising junior JaCorey Thomas out of Orlando, Fla.
Thomas, representing The BetterGuard, recently took some time out of spring practice to share some insight with me on his journey to Athens, the sting of the College Football Playoff snub and what the battle at defensive back has been like since the Bulldogs have been back in action.
Thomas’ journey from South Florida to Athens
A Boone High School product, Thomas signed with the Bulldogs as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class.
Georgia wasn’t an expected destination for Thomas, who had Florida schools, including Florida State, as front runners early in his recruitment. His parents are both Seminoles, leading to national recruiting services projecting him to FSU.
Thomas also had Florida, Miami and UCF among his top choices. That is before Smart and the Bulldogs made him feel like a priority. After receiving some advice from his mother, Thomas decided to expand his recruitment outside of the state.
He made the trip to Athens to workout for the Georgia staff.
“And I remember after my workout, all the coaches started coming, I guess they were in a meeting, all the coaches started coming down from their offices, trying to introduce themselves to me. And I was like, dang, you know, I must have done pretty good at the workout.”
After staffers introduced themselves to Thomas, his mother and two sisters, Smart requested that Thomas…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/don-t-rebuild-reload-georgia-145044787.html
Author : UGA Wire
Publish date : 2024-04-08 14:50:44
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