Kirby Smart held his spring football press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Butts-Mehre Building, touching on a number of subjects about his defending national champions.
Here’s what we learned.
1. Several players will be held out this spring for injuries
Smart doesn’t typically volunteer information on injuries, but he did Monday.
Before fielding questions, Smart revealed that several players will not be able to practice due to off-season injuries and surgery.
That list includes tight end Darnell Washington (lower leg) and Smael Mondon, who underwent Labrum surgery similar to what Nakobe Dean did last spring.
They join Brock Bowers (out, Labrum), Rian Davis (limited, knee), and Tykee Smith (limited, ACL).
Smart did say that offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (Lisfranc), wide receiver Arian Smith (lower leg), and Trezman Marshall (knee) would not be full strength but would be able to get in some work.
2. Bulldogs aren’t concerned with “the pressure”
How will Georgia respond after winning the national championship? That question was asked more than once Tuesday.
To his credit, Smart had the answer of the day.
“The wind blows the hardest at the top, but we’ve been there,” Smart declared.
Although not an original statement, it speaks directly to the notion that any pressure the Bulldogs may feel will be derived from other entities and not from the team itself.
3. Smart’s not telling who will call defensive plays
Coaches can understandably be a secretive bunch, and that was certainly the case with Smart when asked about who will call his team’s defensive plays. Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann are listed as co-defensive coordinators after Dan Lanning took over the head coaching job at Oregon.
But as far as which one will actually call plays, Smart’s not saying.
“That’s something the media always worries about,” Smart said. “We’re not. We know on the inside, and that’s all that matters.”
4. Credit “Momma” for Nolan Smith coming back for his senior year
I asked Nolan Smith if he felt any sense of responsibility to return for another year, considering so many of his defensive teammates left early for the NFL.
Smith said not at all. Coming back for a final year was his way of honoring his mother and making sure he achieves the one goal she had for him when he signed out of Savannah.
“I came back because my momma wanted me to get my degree,” Smith said. “She doesn’t care about the NFL Draft.”
5. Smart determined to find ways to give quarterbacks enough work
Smart said he’s challenged his offensive coaches to make sure all four quarterbacks— Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, and early enrollee Gunner Stockton— receive significant reps in spring practice leading up to G-Day.
The reason, Smart said, is obvious.
“When the season starts, it’s impossible for reps to be spread equally between the four,” Smart said. “So, we’re looking to develop them all, and all four of those guys are in different spots. You go all the way from Gunner just getting here to Stetson being 23-24 years old. They’re in different spots, all four of those guys.”
To make sure each quarterback receives optimum work, Smart has a plan.
“The biggest challenge for us this spring is to get reps and develop them, because we don’t have the depth at the skill positions, receiver, defensive back, and tight end to be able to do some of the things we like to do in practice,” he said. “So, we’re trying to be innovative and creative in the way we practice.
"Quarterback development is critical. If you have quarterbacks, but they are unable to get reps, how are they able to get better? I’m big on challenging our staff to be creative with those guys—who goes with what groups, how many reps a week they get, what percentages. We want to see those guys get better and improve.”
