Wednesday News and Notes

In case you missed it, Bulldog quarterback Stetson Bennett was named a finalist for the Burlsworth Award, which goes to the nation’s most outstanding player who began his year as a walk-on.

It’s an honor that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has a lot of fondness for.

“I’m super proud for Stetson. What a great honor,” Smart said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “I don’t know that people give that award the proper recognition. It’s probably one of the coolest and greatest awards to me, because it means I went here to school without a scholarship. I went to do something special, and walk-ons are special because they do it for free.”

However, it’s not just because it’s Bennett that the award has such a special meaning for Smart. He knew the trophy’s namesake, Brandon Burlsworth, well.

Smart and Burlsworth were briefly teammates with the Indianapolis Colts during rookie mini-camp in 1999.

A former walk-on at Arkansas, Burlsworth went from a walk-on to earning All-SEC and All-American honors, before being drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 1999 draft.

Unfortunately, tragedy would strike.

Eleven days after being drafted, Burlsworth was killed when his vehicle clipped an oncoming 18-wheeler.

The Burlsworth Award was established in 2010. Arkansas’ Grant Morgan and Troy’s Carlton Martial are the other semifinalists for this year’s trophy. The winner of the award will be announced Dec. 6.

“He was a drafted player, and we both were with the Colts at the same time, and then the tragic accident happened,” Smart said. “I was quick to explain to Stetson the back story behind the award, what it means and what he was like. I think Stetson feels honored to be one of the finalists for that.”

Wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint couldn't put a percentage on where George Pickens is from a health standpoint. However, he likes what he sees.

“As of now, he's getting back into the swing of things. He’s back running routes. He looks pretty fluid,” Rosemy-Jacksaint said. “I personally don’t know how far he is from being 100 percent, but he’s definitely on his way to being that.”

On Tuesday, head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the junior, who suffered a torn ACL back in March.

Although Pickens remains uncleared for contact, he said Tuesday he’s starting to do more work than he previous was.

"We're doing a lot of good on good, which means we're practicing less against the scouts this week and more against ourselves, giving each other good looks. He's been going against our (No.) 1 defense some,” Smart said. “We do 7-on-7, and he gets reps. He's really doing the same thing he did last week, if that's what you're asking. He's doing very similar things, just probably more of it in terms of more reps, more volume, picking that volume up. He's still in a non-contact jersey and practicing with us."

Smart said Wednesday that up to 30 players are expected to walk during Senior Day festivities prior to Saturday’s game with Charleston Southern (Noon, SEC Network+), although over half have eligibility remaining and could return.

“We’re going to have somewhere between 28 and 30. I think we’ve got it down to that size in terms of guys who decided if they’re going to walk or not,” Smart said. “Of the 28-30, I think there are 16-17, just over half, which have remaining eligibility and are considering that eligibility.”

Among those walking will be Stetson Bennett, who has eligibility remaining due to last year’s Covid-19 waiver. He’s yet to make up his mind.

This will be Georgia’s first Senior Day event in two years, after Vanderbilt was forced to cancel last year’s regular-season finale at Sanford Stadium due to Covid-19.

“Last year we had it set up for Devonte, Shaffer, a lot of those guys who decided to come back and play,” Smart said. “They’ve been a major part of our success.”

Georgia senior lineman Jordan Davis has been named one of three finalists for the 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given annually to the nation's top defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Davis, a native of Charlotte, N.C., joins Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux as the finalists. They represent the top three teams in the current College Football Playoff rankings.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be held on Dec. 6 at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Davis has helped top-ranked Georgia (10-0, 8-0 SEC) lead the nation in scoring defense (7.6 points per game), and rank second nationally in rushing defense (78.2 yards per game) and total defense (247.0 ypg).

He anchors the interior line with 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Opponents have scored just 76 points on the Bulldogs, and no team has registered more than 17 points.

Smart said he continues to be pleased with the performance of his offensive line.

"It's a production business that's one of the first things you evaluate. The production is sometimes tied to competition level, who are you playing against? What are their strengths? Are they a pass rush team or a run stop team?” Smart said. “Our guys have played really hard, and we've gotten a little bit of continuity up until the last week.”

Then the flu bug hit Warren Ericson and Jamaree Salyer went down with a foot injury. Both players are expected back Saturday.

“Very few people survive the SEC without losing an offensive lineman for one or two games. I have been very pleased with how guys have played,” Smart said. “But we have to get better to get where we want to go because the level of competition goes up from here, so we need to play better. That's what we're working on every week so we can be explosive."