ATHENS — Georgia redshirt freshman cornerback Jalen Kimber has entered his name in the transfer portal according to sources with direct knowledge.

Kimber was the Bulldogs’ starting cornerback coming out of spring drills and was projected to hold the spot opposite of Derion Kendrick entering fall drills when he suffered a shoulder injury in the offseason strength & conditioning program.

Kimber attempted to return from the injury and play without surgery, but he reinjured the shoulder in practice the week before the season-opening game against Clemson. Kimber attempted to play again, against UAB, but he was limited and made just one tackle before undergoing season-ending surgery.

The Bulldogs have had four players enter the portal since beating Alabama in the CFP Championship Game by a 33-18 count on Monday.

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The others, at the time of this publication, are receivers Justin Robinson and Jaylen Johnson, and cornerback Ameer Speed.

Kimber was the No. 71 overall player in the nation in the 2020 class and No. 7 cornerback per 247Sports ratings and chose Georgia over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, LSU and Notre Dame, among several others.

Kimber, from Mansfield, Texas, saw action behind future NFL cornerbacks Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell in three of the 10 games as a true freshman in 2020.

UGA coach Kirby Smart was very high on Kimber, who ranked as one of the fastest players on the team and provided sticky coverage.

“Kimber’s very bright, (and) he was able to practice all last year,” Smart said last spring. “The practice you get from the year before, people just forget about.

“But Jalen Kimber was able to go out and actually take reps and work last year, which gives you an advantage because you’ve seen things, you have heard calls, and you have to adjust,” he said.

“The biggest thing with Jalen is continuing to work really hard with the nutrition and weight room to keep adding size, and he’s conscious of that. He understands what he has to do to be a great player, and he’s committed to doing that.”