Kirby Smart discusses importance of Georgia reestablishing leadership in defensive unit

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart joined The Paul Finebaum Show Friday afternoon ahead of the Bulldogs’ spring game Saturday afternoon. Among several topics, Smart discussed the importance of retaining the same mentality on defense that his squad had during last season’s national championship run.

“Well, it takes patience for me the expectation was set last year and that bar was really high,” Smart said. “Sometimes when you’re in the middle of it, you know, you’re in the midst of the fight and the fray and the battles, you don’t really know what you have. Looking out there this spring, you recognize the unit we had [last season] was really special. They left a mark, like they left a standard across the board, the seniors and juniors that left early. They kind of showed the other guys how to do it and sometimes that’s contagious.”

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Losing defensive stars such as Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean to the NFL Draft is certainly a blow, but when you recruit the way Smart has during his tenure with the Bulldogs, there are always going to be quality players on the depth chart and replacing star players will take some transition but the talent will be there for Georgia.

Smart also lost top tackler Lewis Cine, along with Travon Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker and Derion Kendrick, who are all supposed to be drafted within the first two days of the 2022 NFL Draft later this month on Georgia’s defensive side alone.

While Georgia lost most of it’s manpower that took Smart and company to the promise land, the younger returning players were allowed a free pass first hand at what the pinnacle of college football looks like, and are trying to manifest that same energy in their spring practices.

“Like I’ve been so impressed with the leadership the spring, because a lot of them are trying to emulate those other guys,” Smart said. “Now, they might not be the same height, weight, speed, but man they’re pushing each other out there and they’re getting on each other and that’s the part that’s given me an upbeat attitude because they’re really demanding the standard.”

Georgia’s spring game is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET live on ESPN2 as the Bulldogs look to shave off any remaining championship hangover heading into their summer slate.