ATHENS — In an emergency, Georgia could’ve played defensive back Joenel Aguero against Clemson.

It never came to that, as the Bulldogs crushed Clemson 34-3. But the absence of the Georgia defensive back forced the Bulldogs to rearrange some furniture in the secondary.

“We’re all messed up because now we’re having to not move one person in his spot, we’re having to move Malaki (Starks), then Dan (Jackson), then KJ (Bolden),” Smart said.

“It was really scary because we didn’t have the volume of reps with that makeup, so then we tried to go with JaCorey (Thomas) some, but every time JaCorey was in Malaki had to play over here and Dan had to over here. Then when Malaki went in, Dan jumped over here and KJ went over here.”

Thomas got the start at star, but Bolden ended up playing more snaps than anyone in the win. And as much as it was a makeshift secondary, Georgia still held Clemson’s Cade Klubnik to 142 yards passing and just 3 points on the afternoon.

Aguero seems much closer to playing this week against Tennessee Tech as he recovers from what Smart calls a soft-tissue injury. Had Aguero been healthy against Clemson, he almost certainly would’ve gotten the start for Georgia.

“Joenel practiced and did everything today,” Smart said on Tuesday. “I wouldn’t say he’s 100%, but he practiced and did everything.”

Getting Aguero back once again will force Georgia to move pieces around in the secondary. But this week, it will be so more out of luxury than necessity.

Starks’ spot on the field is guaranteed. And while he excelled at star on Saturday — and could even play corner if need be — Georgia would prefer to keep him at his natural safety position.

“Malaki can be our best player at five positions, so it’s more a matter of what’s around him and what’s healthy working and what are we going to do defensively,” Smart said. “He plays a role at safety, he plays a role at strong safety, he plays a role at STAR. He does a tremendous job. It gives us some depth, but I’d rather not have to be reliant on the depth and rely on the guys that practiced all camp.”

Georgia will be eager to continue to get Bolden reps, as he acclimates to the college game. That Georgia takes on an overmatched Tennessee Tech this week should allow Georgia to get Bolden plenty of snaps, be it with either the first or second team.

“He’s played up against older kids all his life. He’s extremely athletic,” Smart said. “The moment is not too big for KJ. He’s very gifted athletically, but he also has football instincts and intuition. He’s been coached by his father, he’s tough. I think that gives him a leg up on other guys coming in because he’s been playing football for so long.”

Jackson is a trusted veteran and someone Georgia knows is going to make the right play. Long term, the return of Aguero and the continued development of Bolden may eat into his snap count a little bit, but Georgia is still better off with Jackson on the field at this point in time.

Aguero’s return likely means that Thomas does not start this coming Saturday. But as the late injury to Aguero demonstrates, it’s critical to have depth in the secondary.

“They did a tremendous job of knowing what to do from three different positions, and we really needed to get Joenel healthy, and I thought JaCorey stepped up and took advantage of his opportunity,” Smart said.

That’s why Georgia is going to continue to find reps for all of its defensive backs in the secondary. Especially because it would further allow Georgia to deploy certain looks depending on the matchup.

Georgia’s game this Saturday against Tennessee Tech is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.