While the defensive front stole the show in 2021, the back end of the defense, better known as the secondary, deserves their fair share of credit for last year’s defensive production. A key player in that 2021 secondary, Derion Kendrick, is now in the NFL, leaving the outside corner position opposite of Kelee open for competition. But as the offseason comes to a close, the battle for that open spot has Kamari Lassiter emerging as the victor.

On Wednesday, Lassiter gave the first press conference of his collegiate career, opening up about his progression this offseason, how the defense will keep the fire burning from last year, and how he’s been preparing for the season opener against Oregon. 

The sophomore DB began by talking about his offseason and fall camp experience, “This camp has been… pretty good, you know, for us as a team and myself….” He gave more detail, saying the team was “trying to get more connected each day.” Lassiter was proud of his guys. He praised their efforts when he said,“…It’s been a lot of great progress to get to where we are now, but we still got a long way to go.”

Lassiter understands that he needs to keep the Georgia standard and keep himself and the guys around him competing at a level similar to last year’s defensive showing. Kamari understands that it’s all an attainable goal saying, “We have the recipe. Like we know what it takes.” He’s been there and done that. Not at the capacity that a Kelee Ringo or Christopher Smith has, but he’s been able to learn from them, and it seems Kamari has as he looks to be the starting corner opposite of Kelee.

In terms of preparing for Oregon, specifically going against their receiving core, Lassiter didn’t show much concern. He believes in Georgia’s receiving core and says going against them in practice is more valuable than any game reps, “…We go against the best receivers in the country every day.”

As we approach kickoff against Dan Lanning and his Ducks in Atlanta, we’re beginning to get a better understanding of what this team looks like. Old faces out. New faces in. It’ll take some getting used to. Having Kamari opposite of Kelee doesn’t sound that bad, but we’ll see soon enough when they take the field.