Position Preview: Bulldog Safeties Showcase Experience and Depth

The 2026 Georgia defense returns a solid base of starters and key contributors from 2025’s SEC Championship squad. That may be nowhere more apparent than at safety and STAR, where a potent mix of returning all-conference honorees and immediate impact transfers combine to create potentially the strongest unit on the defense.

Georgia’s 2025 safety room was anchored by sophomore KJ Bolden, who took over as the full-time starter after Malaki Starks departed for the NFL. Bolden picked up where he’d left off as a freshman, earning Second Team All-SEC honors. Kyron Jones broke through as a first year starter before a foot injury ended his season in October.

Former five star recruit Joenel Aguero appeared in 12 games, starting all of them, and tallied 39 tackles (22 solo) and 0.5 tackles for loss for two yards. Aguero actually yielded some snaps as the season went on to freshman Rasean Dinkins, who saw action in 13 games as a true freshman.

Southern Cal transfer Zion Branch emerged as a key contributor, seeing anction in 11 games and tallying 27 tackles, 5 of them in the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss. UAB transfer Adrian Maddox rotated in behind them, while senior JaCorey Thomas stepped up significantly once Jones went down. Though the secondary as a whole was exposed at times, most notably in the Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss, there was enough there to expect big things moving forward.

Maddox is now at Kansas State, Aguero transferred to Ole Miss, and Thomas decamped for the NFL. But what remains on the roster in Athens is a ton of experience and a ton of talent.

Bolden is back for his junior season as the unquestioned leader of the room. In 2025 he started all 14 games and finished second on the team with 76 tackles, adding two interceptions, 5 pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt. His combination of physicality and range makes him a preseason All-SEC candidate again, and a likely first day NFL Draft selection next April.

Kyron Jones returns after his breakout redshirt-sophomore campaign was cut short. He started Georgia’s first six games in 2025, racking up 24 tackles and a key fumble recovery in a win over Auburn, before that foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. A full offseason of recovery puts him right back in the mix for a starting job.

Branch is back for another season after playing a complementary role in 2025. He appeared in 11 games, making 27 tackles (19 solo) with two pass breakups, and saw his workload increase late in the year as injuries to Jones and others took a toll on the depth chart. He should pick up right where he left off.

Dinkins likewise returns, having started the SEC Championship Game in place of Aguero, whose nagging injuries during his three seasons in Athens appear to have helped the freshman from Warner Robins pass him on the depth chart. Dinkins will likely play a versatile role in the 2026 rotation, though it’s unclear whether he’ll earn a starting nod over Jones.

Valdosta native Todd Robinson didn’t record any stats in 2025, but will likely be in the rotation for snaps and contribute on special teams. Fellow redshirt freshman Jaylan Morgan likewise didn’t make waves last season in his first year on campus, but returns with a chance to earn snaps in a reserve role.

Georgia also added two experienced transfers to fortify the position. Khalil Barnes arrives from Clemson, where a lingering hamstring injury limited him to 40 tackles and two pass breakups over 9 starts in 2025. However for his career at Auburn with a Lake Barnes was wildly productive, posting 139 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles across three seasons. He’s expected to compete immediately for a starting spot, likely at STAR.

Ja’Marley Riddle joins from East Carolina, where he earned First Team All-AAC recognition in 2025 after totaling 70 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Across two seasons with the Pirates he piled up 134 tackles and six interceptions, and he brings two years of remaining eligibility to Athens. While the SEC is certainly a step up in competition, Riddle’s production at ECU can’t be ignored. Like Barnes, even though he may be new to Bulldog fans he’s a player who’s excelled against solid competition and is already accustomed to the speed of the college game.

As if there weren’t enough guys vying for snaps, Georgia’s 2026 signing class also brought in a wave of safety talent. Jordan Smith, a four star prospect out of Houston County High in Warner Robins, was ranked among the top ten safeties nationally and gives the Bulldogs another premium in-state building block. Zech Fort, a four star signee from Bradenton, Florida, adds size, range, and ball skills to the room.

Tyriq Green and Blake Stewart, both four star in-state signees from the Atlanta area, round out a group of four true freshmen safeties, part of a six man defensive back haul that also included two cornerbacks.

None of the four newcomers are expected to start right away given the presence of veterans like Bolden, Jones, Dinkins, and Branch, along with proven transfers in Barnes and Riddle. But Green in particular showed in the spring that he’s going to earn some chances to prove himself. Kirby Smart expects his players to compete every day in practice, and we’ll likely see the four freshmen get early tryouts against Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, and Arkansas in the first three weeks of the season.

With so many new and returning pieces competing for reps throughout fall camp, Georgia’s safety room looks deeper and more experienced on paper than it did a year ago, even if the exact starting lineup will not be settled until closer to the season opener.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!