Brett Thorson sends Kirby Smart's mind racing back two decades.
He remembers a punter named Donnie Jones who used to address the team every week at LSU. Those conversations, which included thoughts on physical play and dominating the upcoming opponent, always injected some levity into the locker room coming from a punter.
Smart sees those similar qualities in Thorson, perhaps the biggest character on the Bulldog team.
"Hopefully I just bring a pretty lighthearted, easygoing personality," Thorson said. "Not too serious. So I think the boys find it funny. Whether it's just funny the way I say stuff or funny what I say, they get a good laugh sometimes."
Thorson's latest jest actually came at the suggestion of his head coach.
In Georgia's win over Tennessee, Thorson recorded a tackle at the end of a long punt return. On Monday, Smart brought Thorson in to speak to the team in a role as a tackling expert.
"At first I thought, 'Oh, this could come back and bite me in the ass if stuff doesn't go our way in the future.' But I figured, yeah, why not? The idea was to hopefully get a good laugh and get the team going," Thorson said. "They enjoyed it. They said it was pretty funny, obviously. Pretty lighthearted and gets spirits up. So yeah, I think the boys appreciate it. Everyone, I think, saw the humor in it of me probably being the most unathletic on the team, trying to teach the boys how to tackle."
Ironically, the tackling seminar resulted from a play Thorson is not pleased with.
The tackle came at the end of a 26-yard punt return. Thorson and the Bulldogs take great pride in not allowing opponents to return punts. The return by the Volunteers marked the sixth return Georgia has allowed this season after giving up none in 2023.
"Probably last because we had a punt return," Thorson said of where the tackle ranks among his career highlights. "It's definitely a weird thing to celebrate. I think the video comes out and we look at it a lot harder. But obviously, it's not a good thing. So I do feel iffy about getting around it and stuff like that. Obviously, the touchdown two and a half years ago definitely probably goes below that. But yeah, no. It's been our second biggest return since I've been here. So not quite something I'm happy about. But I probably owed the boys for two and a half years of work. So I was glad I could help out just once."
Even with the self-described lowlight, Thorson is once again having a strong season. He is one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the top punter in the country.
"I think everything that goes into it, to start with the coaching and the game plan," Thorson said of his success in his career. "They give us a good look during the week and come up with a good plan for who we're playing against. Then you've got to start with the snap. I can't punt the ball if I don't get a good snap, so I feel like this year Beau's been exceptional. And then the protection and the coverage. So you have Arian (Smith) and Dom (Lovett) and whoever else has been out there, they've been elite. So I can't take too much credit because without any of these other pieces that I just mentioned, it can't happen."
Thorson could return for one more year in Athens if he so chooses. But he said he hasn't put any thought into that decision or whether or not he will walk on Senior Day against Georgia Tech.
For now, Thorson is focused on being the best punter he can be and providing a few laughs along the way.
