NEW ORLEANS — Georgia’s defense is on a roll, and no player represents why more than Ellis Robinson IV.

“He’s definitely become a top corner in the nation,” UGA safety KJ Bolden said Tuesday at the Sugar Bowl media day at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.

“He loves to go against the best receivers every day, and he loves to compete, talk — he might talk smack with you.”

There wasn’t a whole lot for Robinson to say last season, however, as he was staring down the barrel of the dreaded “bust” label after not living up to the recruiting hype.

Robinson, signed out of the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as the No. 1-ranked cornerback per the 247Sports Composite rankings, and the No. 2 overall player in the nation in the 2024 Class, simply didn’t have the necessary physicality his first year on campus.

It led to an unexpected redshirt season, as Robinson appeared in just four games and played 51 defensive snaps for the 2024 Bulldogs.

One year later, Robinson is living up to his No. 1 jersey number as a finalist for the FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and cornerstone to UGA’s ascending defense.

“There’s a lot of guys that have grown up over the course of the year …. the more you play, the more confidence you gain,” UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said.

“I think (Robinson) kind of embodies everything that we’re talking about there. As he’s played more, he’s gained more and more confidence. He’s had a lot of ability from the beginning. There’s multiple layers to your growth as a football player, right?”

Robinson weathered his first layer of exposure this season, when Tennessee torched him and the Georgia secondary for much of the game, including a 72-yard touchdown catch All-SEC receiver Chris Brazzell made despite Robinson getting called for pass interference.

Bolden, who like Robinson endured growing pains his first season, understood what his teammate was going through after the game against Tennessee -- a 44-41 overtime win, but still, a game that showed Robinson would need to turn things around quickly to be an effective starter for the Bulldogs.

“I feel like we, as a whole DB core, made some mistakes in that game,” Bolden said. “We didn’t look good at all, but seeing (Robinson) bounce back from that — I know a lot of people were bashing him in the media — but blocking that out …. he just kept getting better every week.”

Robinson was the only cornerback in the SEC with four interceptions this season, and he graded out highest (per PFF) among all of the Georgia cornerbacks.

“He’s grown throughout the season, more mature as the games have gone on, and he has a better understanding of not letting stuff get to him,” said UGA veteran cornerback Daylen Everette, the MVP of the 2024 SEC championship game.

“The early struggles he had, a lot of people had stuff to say.”

But now Robinson is letting his play do all the talking for him, dealing out a tone-setting hit in Georgia’s 28-7 SEC title game win over Alabama, and not allowing any completions the three times the Tide targeted the receiver he was covering.

“This offseason we were really serious about getting stronger … I work out with Ellis,” Bolden said. “He wants to get better, he knows the type of player he was coming out of high school, and he’s still that same top dawg.”