Kirby Smart addresses status of Julian Humphrey after news of him planning to transfer

The news recently broke that head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs would be losing one of their defensive backs, Julian Humphrey, as he plans to transfer out of the program.

This comes as Georgia is preparing for the SEC Championship Game and, presumably, the College Football Playoff. Amid all of that, Smart addressed his current status with the program.

“No status that I’m aware of,” Kirby Smart said. “I saw the same thing you saw, so… We’re worried about the guys that we’re going to play Texas with.”

At this stage, it’s early enough in the process that Smart isn’t yet aware if he’s going to be with the team moving on from here.

“I’m not sure of that. Again, like I said, I’m worried about the guys that are here,” Smart said.

Julian Humphrey played his high school football at Clear Lake (TX), where he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the 82nd-ranked overall recruit and the 10th-ranked defensive back in that cycle.

The Transfer Portal has not officially opened yet. So, Julian Humphrey is only able to be planning on entering the portal. That could easily become a distraction for a team, but it’s not what Smart is focused on going into the postseason.

“Well, it’s not open, so… I don’t know if that affects your question at all… I’m not dealing with it. I’m worried about my team. I mean, I’ve learned in this thing that you worry about the players that are with you, not the ones that aren’t. You focus on the guys that are out there on that field playing it and trying to win games in eight overtimes, who love the University of Georgia, want to compete and be part of it,” Smart said.

“You don’t really try to focus on the guys that aren’t because they’ll be looking for the next stop. We got guys all over the place that aren’t here now that wish they could come back. It’s a decision each kid has to make.”

Amid all of this, Kirby Smart insisted that he had not yet had a conversation with Julian Humphrey about his current situation.

“No. I’ve been at work today,” Smart said. “I’m still at work today. I’m not chasing all the stuff around y’all are looking at. I’m worried about Texas.”

Julian Humphrey has played in 11 games and has 10 total tackles. He has also broken up four passes this season. As a team, the Georgia Bulldogs will need to be prepared for the Texas Longhorns with or without him in the secondary.