Georgia football fans will love what Kirby Smart had to say about returning safety Kyron Jones as they look to replace Malaki Starks, Dan Jackson

Just a few weeks ago, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart wasn't feeling too good about the team's secondary room as they look to replace Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson's production, but things appear to be looking up. 

In his recent press conference, Smart took a moment to highlight redshirt sophomore defensive back Kyron Jones. 

Smart emphasized that while Jones still has a lot of work to do, he is an extremely hard worker. 

"Well, I've seen toughness, number one," Smart said. "He's a thumper. He doesn't always take the perfect angle. He's raw in some things. But he is tough. He does love football. He does play hard. And he got to keep getting better. He's a kid that we took a chance on because we said, he's a really good athlete. He's really fast. And he's got size. But he had not played defensive back. I don't think a defensive back is a position you can just learn one year. Go play. It doesn't happen that way. Not unless you grew up playing 7-on-7 and played in the backyard. I mean, Malaki played some safety because that was his 7-on-7 home. But with Kyron, that's been a work in progress. But he's got toughness. He's made some plays. And he continues to get better. And he is physical." 

Jones, a former three-star recruit from North Carolina, has an interesting background because he could have gone to NC State to play running back, which was the position he played throughout high school. However, he ultimately chose to sign with Georgia and learn defense. 

Jones has since taken snaps at STAR/nickel and safety for Georgia. In 2024, he appeared in 12 games as a reserve defensive back and posted a career-high three tackles against Tennessee Tech. He also had two stops against UMass. As he enters his third season with the Bulldogs, the door is wide open for him to take on a much larger role, especially at safety. 

He will, however, still have to compete with JaCorey Thomas, Zion Branch, Adrian Maddox, Jaden Harris, Todd Robinson, and Joenel Aguero throughout spring and summer practice.