The New Man in the Last Line of Defense
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 8, 2026
GEORGIA MONEYBALL — Thursday, October 8, 2026
Sophomore Rasean Dinkins got his first start at strong safety against Vanderbilt, and his second exam is Keelon Russell in Tuscaloosa on a Saturday night.
ALBANY, GA — · By the RFA Sports Desk
Safety is the loneliest job in football. A lineman who misses a block has four friends next to him to share the blame. When a safety misses, everybody in the stadium sees it, and so does the man who has to carry it home. That is the job sophomore Rasean Dinkins took over last Saturday. 247Sports reported that he made his first start at strong safety against Vanderbilt in place of Kyron Jones and finished with five tackles, second-most on the team, as Georgia won 38–14.
Kirby Smart was not one to make a speech about it. "His ability to make plays has allowed him to start," Smart said, and that is about as close to a coronation as a Georgia defensive back is going to get. My grandmother handed out compliments the same way, one at a time and only when they had been earned, and nobody who got one ever forgot it. Making plays is the whole job at safety. Everything else is standing around in the right place.
Making plays is the whole job at safety. Everything else is standing around in the right place.
His reward is a rather unfriendly second test. Georgia goes to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night, and the Alabama quarterback is Keelon Russell, whom Smart described at his Monday press conference this way: "Quarterback is playing amazing for them… Guy is really talented, fun to watch." Kalen DeBoer said Russell "continues to stay calm, cool and consistent." When both head coaches agree on something during rivalry week, the safeties ought to pay attention.
The room behind Dinkins did not get any bigger this week. According to Fanrecap, Georgia's first availability report for Alabama lists safety Tyriq Green as out, along with running back Chauncey Bowens, receiver Thomas Blackshear, offensive lineman Marcus Harrison and outside linebacker Amaris Williams. Receiver Isiah Canion is questionable. You do not need a coaching clinic to see what that means. A sophomore who was starting his first game ten days ago is now somebody Georgia is depending on.
Here is the good part. Young safeties tend to learn the most in exactly the kind of games that scare their mothers half to death. The SEC says it is keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Isaias, Alabama says it has no plans to change anything, and kickoff is still 7:30 Eastern on ABC. Whatever the weather does, the last man between Russell and the end zone will be a fellow who has started exactly once. I would not bet against him. I would just say a little prayer first.
The Notebook
- THE UPSET EVERYBODY'S ARGUING ABOUT: No. 25 Missouri beat No. 8 Florida 45–17, and Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three scores. ESPN said it was Eli Drinkwitz's first regular-season win over a top-10 team in 11 tries.
- THE NUMBER: Alabama is favored by 1.5 over Georgia for Saturday's 7:30 PM Eastern kickoff, and the desk calls it a coin flip.
- WILDCATS GO FOR TWO: Kentucky came back from 17–0 down to beat South Carolina 35–34 in overtime by going for two instead of kicking, which coverage called the largest road comeback in school history.
Written in the tradition of Lewis Grizzard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1946–1994.
Hear the desk read tonights report on Radio Free Albany, WPFQ 96.7.
Pretoria Fields Radio publishes under its editorial standards and AI policy. Spot an error? Write info@pretoriafieldsradio.com and we will correct it in the open.
Continue reading
