Kirby Smart committed to helping Arian Smith improve this season

As Georgia looks to replace several key departures in the pass-catching corps, the emergence of senior Arian Smith could be a critical factor in 2024.

Smith has long had the talent to be an absolute superstar, a blazer of a runner who was once ranked as a top-100 prospect nationally. He hasn’t quite lived up to that potential just yet, at least at receiver.

“Good and bad. I think we’ve made a concerted effort to spend more time on developing Arian,” said coach Kirby Smart, asked about Smith’s progress this spring. “I think when he decided to come back, I told him, I said, ‘Look, I want there to be a purpose with you coming back. Like where are the areas of growth?'”

In four years, Arian Smith has a smattering of catches but hasn’t truly done much damage, despite recording six touchdown grabs. He finished the 2023 season ranked sixth among the team’s wideouts in receiving, tallying eight catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

The potential for so much more is there, though, especially as a weapon downfield. Smith has shown that in flashes on special teams.

“We’ve done some things in the special teams period where he’s been a really dominant special teams player, and he knows that, he loves that, he embraces that,” Smart said. “It’s where he made his first name is being a dominant special teams player.”

As Georgia looks to build confidence in Arian Smith, the Bulldogs have shown him some of the impact plays he has made on special teams. Those prove he can be a difference-maker.

Now it’s just about learning all the little things that go into playing the receiver position at a high level and applying them.

“So we’ve taken some of those times that he’s invested four years in special teams work and we’ve allowed him to really grow as a wideout, and I think it’s helped him do that,” Smart said. “He’s had some plays, I think he’d be the first to tell you he wished he had back. Intermediate routes and deep routes, and then he’s had some big plays too.

“So I’m pleased with where Arian is and hope he keeps getting better and keeps growing and trying to be an explosive playmaker for us.”

As a high school prospect, Arian Smith was a four-star recruit and the No. 80 overall player in the nation in the 2020 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He checked in as the No. 15 wide receiver in his class and the No. 14 overall player in the state of Florida, hailing from Lakeland (FL) Lakeland.