You’ve heard Kirby Smart mention, over and over, his desire to find new leaders for his Bulldog football team. Junior tight end Isaac Nauta appears to be stepping up into one of those roles.

“He's one of our leaders. He's one of the guys who's really got to step up and play well to lead,” Smart said. “He's answered the bell in that regard. He's a positive leader on that side of the ball."

In his two years with the Bulldogs, Nauta has been a regular part of the Georgia offense, although his catch totals dwindled from 29 his freshman season to just nine last year. The decrease hasn’t limited Nauta’s ability to relate to his teammates—particularly the younger ones— to express what being a Bulldog is really all about.

“All those young guys, and everybody really, have had great summers, and I’ve been pleased with the way people have worked and how they've bought in,” Nauta said. “That’s the way the culture has been set now, and that’s the way we’re going to work. I’m excited to see what happens.”

Smart said Nauta isn’t afraid to call it as he sees it, and that’s helped him earn the respect of players.

"Isaac is a great example of a guy who came in here. I think it helped being at IMG, the school he attended, where they develop really good leadership,” Smart said. “He's not afraid to speak up. He's one of those guys who really doesn't care what you think, so if he sees it one way, and doesn't think you are doing it right, he'll call you out on it.”

Nauta said his job hasn’t been that hard.

“There’s still a learning curve that comes into it. You come in from recruiting, you’re a big recruit and then you get a dose of reality when you get here. Summer’s been tough, but the camp and going into the season is the hardest part,” Nauta said. “We’ll see how guys react and respond. We'll see what they’re made of. There’s a lot of talent out there, a lot of good players, some guys who can help us.”