News that wide receiver Kearis Jackson made the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent was greeted with a lot of excitement by his former teammates at Georgia prior to practice on Tuesday.

“We announced that in the team meeting. Right before practice, I got a text from Kearis, and one of the guys from Titans texted me. The whole team went nuts. They were just ecstatic,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “Who better deserves that that a guy who went through two, three, four injuries, was on the leadership SEC committee and represented this university on every board he could be on and stood up in front of the team and led and was just an unbelievable leader. He had all the cards stacked against him, overcame all that, and accomplished one of the toughest things there is to do in all sports to make that final roster. I’m really proud of him.”

Smart was not the only one who felt this way.

Safety Javon Bullard – who grew up not too far from Jackson and remains best friends – could not erase the smile from his face when asked about Jackson and his new NFL career.

“That’s our brother. That was huge, man. I was just saying I was going to call and congratulate him, because that’s just huge,” Bullard said. “It’s huge for me because me and Kearis grew up around the same places. I’m so proud of him. He’s motivation for me. It hit my heart; a guy who put so much work in and now it’s paying off. I’m excited to see it.”

Jackson was a steady player over his Georgia career, despite battling injuries for most of his tenure in Athens.

He was finally healthy last season, playing in all 15 games with three starts. Jackson finished sixth on the team in receptions with 21 for 320 yards before impressing Tennessee scouts at Georgia’s Pro Day last March.

“Everybody in the room clapped because they knew who Kearis was, but the guys who had really been here, who saw his progression,” defensive lineman Zion Logue said. “It put chills in my body. I’m grateful to hear that. The injuries, the touches that he did not get here I feel he will get in the league. He’s just got to take it by the horns and run with it.”