INDIANAPOLIS – Dominic Lovett’s welcome to Georgia moment was one he will never forget.

“It was like the day after I (transferred from Missouri), Coach (Kirby) Smart was like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to come here, we’re going to love you … we’re going to bring you in …”

The next day, the Bulldogs had conditioning.

“At Georgia, conditioning is different than anybody else, so I had to get in shape,” said Lovett, who at that point, paused and looked toward a nearby moderator.

“Can we curse here?” Lovett smiled. “(Smart) was like ‘Dom, get your ass in shape.’ I said I am; I’m just not in Georgia shape. Kirby’s like, ‘I don’t care about none of that.’”

However, per Lovett, a bit of tough love never hurts anyone.

“That was his way of pulling me into the program. He’s a great coach,” Lovett said. “He coached me hard every day. He never let me slack off, and I appreciate him. That was love.”

Playing under Smart taught Lovett a different appreciation of the game.

“Honesty, there are no prima donnas. Kirby is old school. He likes the tough guys, he likes the smash-mouth football; he wants guys that will block when they don’t have the football,” Lovett said. “He wants guys that are going to be on special teams; he wants guys to play complete football, and just not be a one-position guy.”

Lovett will try to show what he learned from his two seasons in Athens at the NFL Combine. He and the other wide receivers and quarterbacks will participate in drills at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“Honestly, for me, it's just been like a dream come true. It's surreal. I'm just taking every day one moment at a time and just enjoying the process,” Lovett said. “I just want to show what I could do, my athleticism, how I can jump, how fast I can run.”

That’s not all.

At 5-10, Lovett is one of the smaller receivers taking part in the Combine. However, he’s anxious to show that it does not matter.

“I want to show that I can play bigger than what I am,” he said. “Even though I'm 5'10" and a smaller guy, you can still put me on the outside, put me on a big box fade. I can play bigger than what I am.”

Lovett credits Georgia’s practice sessions for that.

“Practice, practice, practice,” said Lovett, when asked what the most significant adjustment had to make upon arriving in Athens.

“Practice is super physical, but it just gets you ready for the game,” he added. “I miss those moments with my guys from Bloody Tuesday, strapping the helmet on … but I feel like that's what prepared us for the game; it’s how we succeeded.”

Lovett also cited his role on special teams and his willingness to do so as another way his overall game has grown.

“I would hope so,” Lovett said. “I didn't play special teams before I got to Georgia. But when I got to Georgia, I fell in love with special teams. Arian (Smith) and I kind of took that gunner role. We only allowed like 23 yards on special teams, gunner-wise, over two years. So, we take pride in that special team unit.”