We caught up with two of Georgia's key defenders in San Antonio during the All-American Game to get insight and have a little fun along the way.
Here's what Nolan Smith and Travon Walker shared with us.
How did you know Georgia was the right fit for you?
NOLAN SMITH: “Coming out of ninth grade, I had my Georgia gloves on, and we were at the True19 game. Travon said, ‘Do you mess with Georgia?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I want to stay home.’ I just knew, and he’s been my brother since then. Me and him bonded and connected. The recruiting process was crazy. I was taking OVs (official visits) everywhere, and I was calling him saying this and that happened. On his OVs, he was hitting me up, and I was telling him how crazy it all was. When it came down to it, “I called my bro and said, man, let’s just go home.’ That’s all she said.”
TRAVON WALKER: “You know Nolan is just a character, man. He’s out there. The recruiting experience for me was a joyful time for me to take in all of that. I knew, I won’t say the first time I went of Georgia’s campus, but I went there a lot. It stuck with me, and I just had that good feeling at the end of the day.”
Which coach are you closest you to?
SMITH: “Schu (Glenn Schumann). My offer actually came from Coach (Kirby) Smart, but Schu told me that Coach Smart wanted to give me the offer. It was great, and I’ve just had a good bond with Coach Schumann. He came to Calvary Day School, which is a small school in Savannah, when I was in ninth grade. It’s been on ever since.”
WALKER: “I’d have to say Coach Scott. I’m a guy who likes to interact with my coaches a lot. Coach Scott is just a cool coach, and he’s got a lot of swagger about himself.”
What are you most looking forward to about being in Athens?
SMITH: “Being with my bros. Trezman (Marshall), Travon...we’ve been together on all of our recruiting visits. We went to Tennessee, Bama, and we’ve been almost everywhere together. We decided to stay home, and that means something special. We’re just trying to do something special. People say ‘Why not go to Bama?’ They’re already great. Let’s make our place great. All the boys from Miami say ‘make the crib great again’. That’s what we want to do, except we’ve actually got a chance.”
WALKER: “I’m looking forward to being around the team and the players. I’m looking forward to the experience of being a college football player. I know there’s a lot that comes with it, but just being out there on the field with the greatest and best of the best every Saturday.”
Who's the better athlete between the two of you?
WALKER: “I’m the better athlete. I’ll take that. He’s just…”
SMITH: “We could go race right now.”
WALKER: “He tries to bring up racing, man.”
SMITH: “We could do agility, jump, shuttle, it don’t matter.”
WALKER: “I’m a big guy. When it comes to being athletic…”
SMITH: “Athletic means running, jumping…”
WALKER: “I’m talking about outside of football.”
SMITH: “I got hips. I can drop.”
WALKER: “Hands down, it’s me, no question about it.”
SMITH: “They’ve got recordings of me playing outside, inside, d-end.”
WALKER: “I’ve got recordings of me playing quarterback, wide receiver, you name it.”
SMITH: “You played quarterback because you’re big. You ain’t outrunning nobody.”
WALKER: “That’s athletic!”
SMITH: “You running people over.”
WALKER: “That’s being athletic.”
SMITH: “I’ll outrun anybody.”
WALKER: “You can outrun them, and I’ll run them over.”
SMITH: “I can run with the best.”
WALKER: “I can hit the best.”
SMITH: “Duh.”
WALKER: “That’s all that matters.”
What does Georgia have to do to take the next step?
WALKER: “Bounce back. That’s for the birds, man. It’s a new season. We’re fixing to come in, make this school great again, and get this natty.”
Which player are you most excited about playing with at the next level?
SMITH: “I’ve played with Trey Sanders, Jadon, all of the exciting players. We’ve played with them. At the next level, Malik Herring, Tyson Campbell, and all my dogs I knew. It’s been fun seeing them. Our whole class is really nice. We signed the best defensive class, thanks to my man right here. We’re going to be straight.”
Any message to Georgia fans?
SMITH: “Go Dawgs.”
WALKER: “Great things are coming.”
SMITH: “We gonna bring one home. We’re coming for it all. We ain’t just trying to compete with Bama. After we beat Bama, we’ve gotta worry about other people.”
