Daniel Harris update: Kirby Smart explains decision to not play Georgia defender vs. Kentucky

On Thursday, Georgia defensive back Daniel Harris was arrested by Athens-Clarke County Police for reckless driving and four other misdemeanor charges, according to DawgsHQ. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart did not list Harris as out on UGA’s availability report leading up to the team’s game this weekend.

However, he didn’t play Harris in the Bulldogs’ 13-12 win over Kentucky on Saturday. After the game, Smart pulled back the curtain on his decision to not play Harris.

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“Daniel was available tonight,” Smart said. “It was coach’s decision. It’s my decision.”

Daniel Harris was reportedly arrested for driving 106 miles per hour in a 65 MPH zone. He also was charged with not wearing a seatbelt, operating an unregistered vehicle without a license plate, driving without proof of insurance, and having illegal window tint.

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Harris made six appearances as a true freshman in 2023, making one tackle. He played in Georgia’s first two games this season, tallying three tackles.

Georgia’s secondary had an excellent showing against the Wildcats, even without Harris on the field. In the win, Georgia held Kentucky to a mere 114 passing yards and only allowed UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff to complete 14-of-his-27 pass attempts.

Kirby Smart discussed off-field issues this offseason

Kirby Smart said at SEC Media Days this offseason that Georgia has the right process in place to avoid off-the-field traffic issues, even though they keep occurring. While he is disappointed in the arrests, he doesn’t plan on changing his methods.

He also defended his program and said that he does not shy away from disciplining players when it is warranted.

“I always talk about process and outcomes. I talk about that in wins and losses, that we try not to base things on the outcomes in wins and losses. In this situation, the outcomes are very disappointing. Our process and the things we’ve put in place, I feel very strongly about,” Smart said. “We do as much or more education than anybody in the country. 

“As far as I know, there’s not one team that has ever suspended a player for a traffic violation. That’s what Marcus Rosemy got suspended for. I don’t know that anybody has kicked anybody off the team for that, and we have that. We’re going to continue to be proactive. It’s repeated behaviors that will get you dismissed. Repeated poor behaviors and poor decisions. In some cases we have repeated behaviors. In some cases, we have guys that make mistakes. We’re gonna punish them.”