Arian Smith uses full spring to his advantage during G-Day
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith touched the ball twice during Saturday’s spring game. He scored on both touches, one a rushing touchdown for the game’s first score and another a receiving score that put his team up 21-3 early in the second quarter. It’s the kind of high hit rate Smith has had throughout his career turning touches into touchdowns. However, as just about anybody who keeps up with Georgia Football knows, Smith’s constant battle with injuries has kept him from making that kind of impact as frequently as he’d like. Having gone through this spring without any sort of setback, everybody in the Bulldogs’ building is holding their breath that he can keep it up.
“It was great. I hold my breath every time. I’m worried about injury,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said when asked about Smith and the potential impact of his injury-free spring. “He’s really a fast guy. At times, he gets some awkward tackles and it scares you. He had a good spring. We have to be smart about our workload and volume of work for him. The more he does, the more he becomes injury-prone. He stretches the field in ways that other guys can’t do. We have to be smart about that.”
A rising redshirt junior, Smith was able to play in more games last season than he had his entire career before that. He turned eight games and five catches into three touchdowns his first two campaigns on campus. Last year, Smith saw the field in 11 contests, catching seven passes for 198 yards and an impactful touchdown in Georgia’s College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ohio State.
“Most definitely. I feel like I’ve got a lot of stuff I can do to help this team,” Smith said. “Regardless of circumstances, whether we lose people or get people, I’ve still got to make plays for the team. I think I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish this spring.”
Georgia has a versatile group of receivers to work with as the Bulldogs make their way towards the fall. Adding Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas from the transfer portal in the first opening on top of what they already had returning in Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Dillon Bell and of course Smith, the excitement has been easy to see this spring talking to players. They believe that Georgia’s offense, even with changes at quarterback and offensive coordinator, can be as good or better than the last few years.
“It’s very nice. I’m blessed,” Smith said. “My goal is to stay healthy. I’ve gotten hurt every year I’ve been here, so hopefully this year I can stay healthy.”
“I feel like this receiver room can be the best one we’ve had in a long time,” Smith added. “It’s on us to answer that bell and display it. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back that are experienced, and we’ve got two new guys that can help us. I’m excited for what we’re going to do this coming up season.”
