Nolan Smith sat glued to his TV four years ago.

He watched as Georgia rallied from a 31-14 deficit to top Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, earning a berth in the national championship game. Smith saw the Bulldogs, counted out after falling into a big hole, come back to earn one of the biggest wins in program history.

Now, Smith is in the same position. He's on a Georgia team that is two wins away from the program's first championship since 1980. Being from Savannah, Smith loves setting the example for all the kids back home.

"Just for those kids to see where I’m at and what I’m doing, I try to say I’ll try to lead by example," Smith said. "Hopefully, every kid that comes from Savannah is just like me and just wants to work."

Smith grew up on the west side of Savannah. He played for the Westside Whippers youth team before starting his high school career at Calvary Day School.

Under the tutelage of coach Harold Nelson, Smith began to grow into a blue-chip prospect. He recalled earning his second offer from Will Muschamp, then the head coach at South Carolina. Smith began to realize at that moment he might have a future in college football.

After two seasons at Calvary Day, Smith transferred to IMG Academy in Florida. He still maintained the relationships with Nelson and other coaches from his former school. To this day, he still goes back to the coast to run on the beach as part of his training routine.

Upon arriving at IMG, Smith saw what other top national prospects looked like. He trained alongside future college players such as Xavier Thomas and Taron Vincent who went on to play at Clemson and Ohio State, respectively.

"Just being around those guys, they were five-star athletes," Smith said. "I saw how they worked and that’s what I wanted to do, just work hard. They never stopped working."

Smith committed to Georgia as a five-star himself in the Class of 2019. In three seasons as a Bulldog, he has amassed 81 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

All the while, he's carried the weight of representing Savannah and south Georgia in Athens.

"A lot of kids don’t come out of Savannah," Smith said. "A lot of kids don’t get recruited from Savannah or even just the down south area. Even places like 229 and Cordele, Georgia, guys like Quay (Walker). You’ve got one singular guy like Quay, you know how many guys like Quay there are in south Georgia?"

Smith wants to change that going forward. He held a football camp for kids in Savannah over the summer. Smith's brothers hear about the importance of reading, with their big brother telling them, "Books are cool now."

Those kids in Savannah now get to watch Smith lead one of the best defenses in the country. He and the Bulldogs will take on Michigan in the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve, hoping to earn a national championship appearance for the first time since the 2017 season.

Smith's message to the kids in his hometown, however, has nothing to do with football. From the west side to Athens, he wants them to know that they too can accomplish anything.

"There’s more to Savannah than just going downtown and getting into all those shootings and watching the fireworks. It’s a lot more to life than what we’re able to have," Smith said. "I’m a kid from West Savannah, Georgia. I played for the West Side Whippers. I never thought I would be in the stage that I am today."