ATHENS — Daniel Harris is no longer the shiny, new and unproven toy in Georgia’s cornerback room.
He’s entering his third season at Georgia. He gained some starting experience at the end of the 2024 season, taking over for Julian Humphrey prior to the UMass game.
Harris didn’t do enough to lock up a starting spot heading into the 2025 season. It was an up-and-down season for Harris, on and off the field.
This spring, he finds himself in a battle with Ellis Robinson and Demello Jones to start opposite Daylen Everette. With Everette out due to injury, Harris and Robinson got the start with the first-team defense.
And on G-Day, Harris showed why he’s going to be tough to beat out.
“The whole spring, it’s been competition,” Harris said prior to G-Day. “So everybody’s been just competing, making plays, just doing what we do best. It’s Georgia, everybody’s got to compete. So there ain’t really no spots solidified right now.”
Harris came down with the first interception of the game, picking off Gunner Stockton in the end zone.
Harris played the Stockton pass perfectly, boxing out Colbie Young from making a play on the ball. On the previous drive, Harris prevented a long completion from Stockton to Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas to force a Georgia punt.
“I think he’s competing harder,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I think it matters to him more. He sees two really good players at the corner position with him, in Demello and Ellis, and he’s competed really hard. He’s had some plays where he’s given up balls, and he’s had some plays where he’s made them.”
It wasn’t a flawless day for Harris, as Smart pointed out. Wide receiver Colbie Young caught a touchdown pass on Harris. He was in good position on the play, but as is sometimes the case, good offense just happens to beat good defense.
Plays like that happened to Robinson and Jones as well. Such is life as a cornerback at Georgia in a spring game. The Bulldogs attempted 89 passes on the afternoon.
Even with Harris playing well, the cornerback battle is expected to continue into fall camp. The competition is too fierce not to.
“I feel like they’re both evolving and obviously getting better day by day,” Harris said of Robinson and Jones. “But I feel like they’ll play a big role this upcoming season. I feel like we’ll all play a role. We’ve got a, not young back end, but obviously we have a lot of experience, so I feel like we’ll all do good.”
If Harris continues to play like he did on Saturday, he’ll continue to look like Georgia’s best option at cornerback.
While the ability to cover is what most look for in a successful cornerback, Harris has taken to heart Smart’s demands to improve as a tackler. This was a constant talking point for the Georgia head coach during the 2024 season, when Georgia went back and forth between Harris and Humphrey. The latter is now at Texas A&M after transferring out.
The most impressive aspect of Harris’ game is his size, as he’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. While that helps him against bigger receivers like Thomas and Young, it can make getting low and tackling a challenge.
“The biggest thing I wanted to improve on was probably my tackling, open space, and probably me just, my pad level just staying low and not getting to high when I’m in press or stuff like that,” Harris said.
Robinson and Jones need to improve as tacklers as well. Given how little Georgia ran the ball on Saturday, it’s hard to say evaluate how the group performed in that aspect of the game.
Smart had positive things to say about all three Georgia cornerbacks following Saturday’s game. But it was the play of Harris that stood out in Sanford Stadium.
And helps position him as the favorite to start the first game of the 2025 season.
“All three of those corners have gotten better,” Smart said. “I think Donte (Williams)’s done a great job with them, having a lot of confidence in those guys.”
