We continue our look at twelve Georgia Bulldogs’ whose development will define the 2025 season with a veteran defensive back who could be called on to step into a variety of critical roles.
There’s an odd phenomenon that you may have noticed in the college football world. It goes like this: a can’t miss, five star recruit signs to play for a powerhouse program. Maybe even your favorite college football program. Every observer expects the can’t miss prospect to be a can’t miss star from day one. But
then….things happen. Maybe the budding star runs into a stacked depth chart. Maybe it takes awhile to fully assimilate to a new, complex college system. Maybe an injury intervenes.Whatever the case, people begin to wonder whether the blue chipper is ever going to live up to all that nascent potential.
Joenel Aguero can lay claim to all of the road blocks outlined above. After coming to Athens as a national top 50 recruit in the class of 2023. But he ran into a loaded depth chart with veterans like Javon Bullard, Dan Jackson, and Malaki Starks soaking up most of the snaps at safety and Star. Nevertheless the Lynn, Massachusetts product played in 12 games in his freshman season, racking up 7 tackles. The highlight of his season was probably the blocked punt against Florida that went for a safety and served as the exclamation mark for a first half evisceration of the Gators.
Aguero entered 2024 vying for a starting spot and indeed made five starts, finding a home at Star. However a broken hand sustained against Texas slowed him throughout the second half of the season. Aguero’s 26 tackles on the season, 1.5 tackles for loss and a single QB pressure marked him out as a solid contributor. But it would also be fair to say that he and the Bulldog coaches were hoping he’d have a bigger impact.
2025 now sets up as a season in which Aguero not only could step in as a key piece of the Red and Black defense, but absolutely must. Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson have moved on to the NFL, and along with senior Daylen Everette and fellow junior Daniel Harris Aguero is now one of the veterans who have to step forward.
He has several things working in his favor. After two years in the Bulldog system Aguero should be able to play faster and more instinctively than in the past. We saw some flashes of that during the G Day game in which he was among the more disruptive defenders coming up to the ball. The 5’11, 205 pounder has looked more like a linebacker than a DB since he stepped on campus as an early enrollee. Kirby and Co. need him to bring the type of run support and unfettered aggression that Javon Bullard delivered from the same spot in 2022 and 2023.
Another thing working in Aguero’s favor is that while the safety rotation is unproven, the cornerbacks bracketing him will be sound. Everette has All-American potential at CB1, and Daniel Harris looked solid after taking over for Julian Humphries midseason. He’ll still likely get a push from sophomores Ellis Robinson and Demelo Jones. All of which means that Aguero should have some solid help in coverage.
That’s good news because there’s any area of his game which concerns me it’s Aguero’s coverage skills. He doesn’t have great length with a frame just shy of six feet, and is built for jacking up ball carriers more than running downfield. That being said, I was encouraged by Aguero’s effort covering USC transfer Zachariah Branch at G Day, where other than giving up one touchdown on a well thrown fade route he was solid.
Sadly if Aguero has the kind of season Georgia needs him to have, the kind of season you expect from those big time, can’t miss recruits, this will likely be his last season in the Classic City. But if that season ends deep in the College Football Playoffs, I think I can live with it.
2025 Floor: Starter, All-SEC consideration.
2025 Ceiling: Consensus All-SEC, first day NFL draft pick.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
More from dawgsports.com:
- Commit! Georgia picks up pledge from 2019 linebacker
- A deeper look at Kirby Smart’s "Millenial Oklahoma" drill
- Georgia hosting top recruits this weekend
- Ranking Our Rivals: The Definitive List
- Morning moment of zen: This one’s gonna hurt.
- Marist tight end John FitzPatrick commits to the Bulldogs
- Georgia offers 4-Star safety Gurvan Hall
