Georgia's All-Kirby Smart Era Team: Wide Receiver
We’re entering year eight of the Kirby Smart era in Athens. The Georgia football coach has more than established himself as one of the best, if not THE best, in College Football by turning around a program that had gone stagnant and is now at the top of the sport with the Bulldogs having won back-to-back titles.
Seven full seasons at the helm means a lot of things. Smart’s first full class has come and gone. While the “COVID-year” delayed it a bit, that happened this past season with the departure of Robert Beal – and of course walk-on Stetson Bennett. So, it’s time that we start discussing the All-Smart Era Team.
Our rules are simple. They only require the player to have spent one season playing for Smart so seniors on the 2016 team are eligible. Other than that, they must have finished their career at Georgia or be suiting up for the Bulldogs this fall.
Today, we talk wide receivers.
George Pickens (2019-2021)
For years, AJ Green was the example of what a Georgia receiver could be. Now, that honor goes to George Pickens after a strong three years in Athens and a second round selection in the NFL Draft.
Pickens led the Bulldogs in receiving yards as a freshman. With 49 catches for 727 yards and eight touchdowns, the former five-star immediately stepped in and lived up to expectations. That season for him included two touchdowns in a win over Missouri and a massive performance in the Sugar Bowl, hauling in 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. He found the end zone in each of the last four games his freshman season.
Then, as a sophomore, he did it again. Tied with Kearis Jackson for the team-high in receiving yards and doubling up any other pass catcher in trips to the end zone, all while missing a pair of games, Pickens was viewed as one of the top receivers in all of college football. He once again closed the year out on a good note with five catches for 126 yards in the regular season finale before the bowl game saw him go for 135 yards on seven catches.
Pickens suffered a torn ACL during spring practice headed into his third season and was only able to play in four games. Coming up with a big catch in the National Championship Game, Pickens had an impact when he was on the field but his injury remains one of the biggest ‘What Ifs’ of the Kirby Smart era.
Mecole Hardman (2016-2018)
The arrival of Mecole Hardman and Kirby Smart went hand-in-hand in Athens. And in just two seasons playing receiver, Hardman turned himself into an NFL Draft selection under Smart’s watch.
A cornerback coming out of high school, Hardman appeared in 11 games during the 2016 season, all on special teams. It wasn’t until 2017 that Hardman flipped to offense full time, finishing with 25 catches, 418 yards and six touchdowns (four receiving, two rushing) on the year. Add in the yardage he picked up as a returner, and Hardman had 1,255 all-purpose yards. He had two touchdowns versus Missouri, a season-high 203 all-purpose yards against Auburn (regular season), a season-high-matching four receptions in the SEC Championship Game rematch with the Tigers and both of Georgia’s receiving scores in the National Championship Game loss.
The next season, Hardman took on a much bigger role. That showed on the stat sheet as he finished with 34 catches, 532 yards and seven scores through the air, plus a punt return touchdown. To this day, it remains the last return for a score at Georgia and helped him earn All-American recognition as a kick returner. Had Hardman met the qualifications for national averages (1.2 punt returns per game), he would have ranked second nationally and first in the SEC at 20.1 yards per return. His year on special teams was highlighted by the 70-yard score as well as a 65-yard return that set up the first score of the game at Kentucky, one that decided the SEC East.
Meanwhile, on offense, Hardman had a career-best 103 receiving yards against South Carolina that season on six catches (also a career-best) as he finished second on the team in receiving. He also had a 30-yard rush in the season tone-setting win. Hardman scored touchdowns in each of the first four games of the year for Georgia. He later closed out the year with three in the last four games before being drafted in the second-round in 2019.
Ladd McConkey (2020-present)
With Ladd McConkey, we’ve got our first active player. That says a lot about what he’s been able to do in just two years of contributing but also what Georgia’s history with wide receivers has been. The guys on the second team – and others – certainly could have a case, and this was a tougher decision, but McConkey gets the nod for the impact he’s had on a pair of National Championship winning teams.
After redshirting in 2020, McConkey came onto the scene by finishing second on the team in catches during the 2021 campaign. He was voted to the Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team as somebody that played in every game for Georgia that season. He had a team-high five receptions for a career-best 135 yards in a win over Auburn. That included a 60-yard touchdown grab on his way to SEC Freshman of the Week. He also led the Bulldogs against Arkansas while scoring touchdowns on back to back drives versus Vanderbilt. McConkey finished with 31 catches for 447 yards and five scores, plus four rushes for 44 yards and another touchdown, on the season.
McConkey once again played in all 15 games for Georgia this past season and once again finished second on the team in receiving. With 58 catches for 762 yards and seven touchdowns on top of seven carries, 134 rushing yards and two more scores, the Chatsworth, Ga. native earned a spot on the All-SEC Team of the coaches once again. McConkey scored a pair of touchdowns in the opener against Oregon, totaling 89 yards rushing and receiving, before another big day at South Carolina. Then, after overcoming a little bit of a mid-season slump, McConkey found the end zone in three straight contests with at least 50 yards receiving in each. In Georgia’s SEC East clinching win at Mississippi State, McConkey totaled 141 yards (71 receiving, 70 rushing) with two touchdowns. He once again had a pair of scores in the National Championship Game as he caught five passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
McConkey made the decision to return to Georgia for his fourth-year and is expected to be a major contributor to a little bit of a new-look offense with a first-time starter at quarterback and a new offensive coordinator.
Second Team: Isaiah McKenzie (2014-2016), Terry Godwin (2015-2018), Riley Ridley (2016-2018)
