Georgia freshman Daylen Everette ‘has the mindset of a corner that’s going to be a really good player’

Georgia’s 2022 defensive back haul was one of the best position group hauls in the country. It already has produced one instant contributor in safety Malaki Starks, who has started the last six games and produced a number of wow plays.

And it might not be too long before we see the next impact player from the six-man signing group.

As we get deeper into the season, Daylen Everette is looking more and more like a player who is set to become a major piece to this Georgia secondary.

“He’s got a composure about him that I really like,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He doesn’t let a lot of things affect him. He’s not real emotional. He has the mindset of a corner that’s going to be a really good player. I don’t know when that’s going to happen, but he’s got quiet confidence, he’s smart, he’s a really tough tackler and he’s continuing to get better.”

Everette has made the most of his opportunities, which is why he has been able to separate himself from fellow freshman cornerbacks Jaheim Singletary and Julian Humphrey. Everette was the only one of the three to enroll early, thus giving him valuable spring reps.

When Nyland Green went down with a hamstring injury, Everette moved into Green’s role of the first cornerback off the bench. Even as Green returned to health, Everette still finds himself in the mix for reps behind Kamari Lassiter and Kelee Ringo.

Late in the second quarter against Vanderbilt, Smart was unhappy with the play of Lassiter. The coach then proceeded to sub out Lassiter for Everette.

The Bulldogs were up 28-0 at the time and the game was never in doubt. Still, it was an interesting move by Smart, to say the least.

“He had a communication error,” Smart said of subbing out Lassiter. “It was not really about the missed tackle, it was about the coverage that we were playing. It’s unfortunate. He’s got to do his job a little better.”

Lassiter still out-snapped Everette, but it was much closer than it had been in recent games. Everette played 23 snaps against the Commodores, only six less than the starting Lassiter. On the season, Everette has eight tackles and a pass breakup for the Bulldogs.

Georgia is set to face better offenses coming out of the off-week, specifically in back-to-back games against Tennessee and Mississippi State. Georgia will need all hands on deck to slow down those units, especially after Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker shredded the Alabama pass defense last week.

Everette is very much poised to become a bigger piece of the Georgia defense. But this is where it’s worth remembering he’s still a freshman, playing a position where mistakes happen frequently.

“There’s a learning curve that you have to go through,” Smart said. ”You show me a freshman corner that’s been really successful in our league, the only two I can think of are Derek Stingley and Patrick Surtain. It’s just hard to do that. (Everette)’s getting better. He goes against good guys every day at practice.”

The off week gave Georgia the chance to get more reps for Everette, as is the case with every young player.

The hope with the promising young cornerback is that with all the reps he took in the spring, combined with the improvements he’s made this fall, he’ll be ready to handle whatever opposing offenses throw at him in this difficult closing stretch for the Bulldogs.

Kirby Smart praises freshman cornerback Daylen Everette

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