Tykee Smith named American Team MVP at Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl week in Mobile saw several different Georgia players take home honors. After Ladd McConkey and Javon Bullard earned recognition from their teammates for performance at practice, Tykee Smith was named American Team MVP.
Smith, who had a trio of pass breakups in his final outing wearing the Georgia red helmet he donned for three seasons, and the American Team came out on the losing end of Saturday’s game, but the Bulldog was one of the big winners from the week. The American Team featured five other former Georgia players as well: Daijun Edwards, Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Javon Bullard and William Mote.
Speaking of those other players, Smith wasn’t the only one to have an impressive day. Rosemy-Jacksaint got the game’s scoring started as he went up and over a defender to catch a 29-yard touchdown pass from South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. McConkey also had a couple of highlights as he caught a pass for 15 yards from Tennessee’s Joe Milton and ran an impressive route, shaking off his defender in coverage despite an overthrow.
On the defensive side, Smith was accountable for half a TFL and the three pass breakups while Bullard was among the tackle leaders with four including a solo stop.
Smith’s Career at Georgia
Smith’s career started elsewhere, transferring to Georgia in 2021 from West Virginia. There he was an All-American caliber player for the Mountaineers under the direction of eventual UGA assistant Jahmile Addae as Smith earned Freshman All-American status from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in 2019 before being named an All-American in some capacity by Pro Football Focus (1st), FWAA (2nd), Sporting News (2nd), Phil Steele (2nd) and the AP (3rd) in 2020.
Smith then spent three seasons in the red and black. An injury plagued 2021 season kept him off the field that year before playing in 14 games for the Bulldogs in 2022. This season, Smith played in all 14 games making 12 starts as he led Georgia in several defensive categories including tackles with 70 total stops, tackles for loss (8.5) and takeaways (four interceptions). He was named a Second-Team All-American by CBS Sports.
Next up for the Georgia crew as they try to make a name for themselves in the world of professional football will be the NFL Combine. Invited have yet to be extended, but several Bulldogs are expected to be in attendance in Indianapolis. The event spans several days with on-field workouts taking place Thursday, February 29th through Sunday, March 3rd at Lucas Oil Stadium.
