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Portal Impact: Kendrick's Performance Substantiates Smart's Strategy

Originally posted on FanNation Dawgs Daily
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated 1/1/22

Back in June of 2021, Georgia went into the portal to find themselves a veteran cornerback to add to their young and inexperienced defensive back room.

Georgia had seen eight players — Richard LeCounte, Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes, DJ Daniel, Mark Webb, Tyrique Stevenson, Major Burns, and Daran Branch — depart from their defensive backfield through either the NFL or the NCAA Transfer Portal in a matter of three months to start the calendar year.

They needed to make drastic strides in the transfer portal, or at least find one impactful starter, if not two.

They stumbled upon Derion Kendrick who was looking to transfer from Clemson University and had three years of experience under his belt. It appeared to be a match made in heaven.

During his time at Clemson, Kendrick played in 34 games in three seasons and actually played wide receiver during his freshman season in which he had 15 receptions for 210 yards. He then made the transition to defensive back and hasn't looked back since.

This season, Kendrick has started every single game for the Bulldogs as a defensive back and has played a massive role on one of the most dominant defenses college football has ever seen.

During his four-year College Football career, Derion Kendrick hasn't missed the College Football playoffs. The first three were with Clemson and then most recently his fourth year with Georgia. Needless to say, Kendrick has a lot of experience when it comes to playing in the college football playoff and that experience really showed in the Orange Bowl.

After having five tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions, Kendrick was named as the Orange Bowl's defensive MVP. He came up big multiple times for Georgia and made plays when they were needed to help keep the Wolverines out of the end zone and from closing the gap.

The acquisition of Kendrick in the offseason has been one of the more important decisions this season. The Clemson transfer has done a phenomenal job at playing the role of a veteran corner. He was without a doubt been one of the more important pieces of this Georgia defense and he was a major reason why Georgia is advancing to the national championship game.

When talking about Georgia's defense the conversation is usually centered around their dominant front seven and the playmakers they have on the defensive line. However, the impact of a player like Derrion Kendrick should not be overlooked. He has been a major contributor for Georgia on defense all season, and without him, the Bulldogs would have quite the predicament at the defensive back position.

Kirby Smart has been adamant about one thing regarding the transfer portal, he's going big game hunting. The NCAA Transfer Portal is Georgia's way to find high-quality starters, All-Americans, and NFL draft picks.

Derion Kendrick has been every bit of those things.