Kirby Smart raves about Darnell Washington, details his journey to playing on Monday

The question of whether Darnell Washington would play against TCU was asked of Kirby Smart time and time again leading up to Monday, and the Georgia tight end was able to tough it out.

Braving an ankle injury, Washington only caught one pass for 28 yards, but being out there alone was an accomplishment. Speaking with the media afterwards, Smart raved about the star tight end, complimenting his training staff and the journey Washington took to being on the field on Monday.

“I think our training staff did a phenomenal job,” started Smart. “They can do the greatest job in the world, but if the player doesn’t want to buy into that, then it’s probably not going to happen. So he was not able to practice the entire time we were in Athens.

“We came to LA. He ran with the team and ran decent on the first day we were here. And then he practiced. And we felt like there was going to be a good chance he was going to be able to play. There was no chance of doing any more damage.”

Continuing, Smart made sure to praise Washington for his toughness as well, speaking to his growth as a person and a player in Athens.

“Darnell is a classic guy that came to Georgia with the sole purpose of having an opportunity at the NFL. He wanted to play in the NFL. And by the time he left, he was one of the toughest players we had,” added the Georgia leader. “Missouri, his shoulder pops out, and he will not come out of the game. I mean, he made two probably career-defining catches against Missouri, contested catches, with a shoulder that was hurt and he wouldn’t come out. LSU, he gets cut. He’s 6’7” and they cut him at his ankles and shins, nothing worse than that, and he’s waving people off — I’m not coming out; like, I’m pissed off.

“To see that growth and to see him care about winning the game last night, like, he played last night selflessly. Not a lot of throws targeted for Darnell. It was blocking and covering people up. And that part will always hold a special place in my heart for the sacrifices he made for our team.”

Alas, Darnell Washington will be used as an example by Kirby Smart on his players buying into his message. The Bulldogs are champions again, and it doesn’t seem as if Georgia is going anywhere anytime soon.