Christopher Smith seeking hometown sendoff in Georgia semifinal game

ATLANTA — Georgia senior safety Christopher Smith has played in big games over the course of his career, and he’s played in plenty of those games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Never has the Atlanta native played in a game this big right in his backyard though, a culmination of his career that he hopes will go one more game after Saturday.

Smith arrived at Georgia in 2018 as a cornerback. The Hapeville Charter product was GHSA Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year his senior season as he helped lead his team to a state championship and a 14-1 record. Smith saw action in five games his freshman year before taking on a bigger special teams role as a sophomore. Then, as a junior, he was thrust into a starting spot after Richard LeCounte went down with an injury halfway through the year. He was ready to take on the role.

“It’s crazy you ask that, because I have this conversation a lot, just telling players how you make sure you need to be ready when your name is called with the situation and how I was able to get on the field,” Smith said on Tuesday during the Georgia defense’s Peach Bowl press conference. “I just made sure I was ready and prepared, just doing everything I can in practice and building that connection with my teammates and my coaches. It just really paid off when it was time for me to be able to step up, and I just kind of try to preach that to the younger guys, like just make sure you’re ready when your time come.”

Smith’s success exploded after the fact. Starting the final five contests of the 2020 season, he was prepared for what 2021 entailed, playing in 12 games with 11 starts. Smith played every defensive snap in three important wins for the Bulldogs on their way to bringing home the National Championship – Clemson, Tennessee and Alabama2 – and came up with big plays in each. He picked off Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei just before halftime of the season-opener and returned his first career interception 74 yards for the game’s only touchdown. He moved from safety to STAR against Tennessee to help Georgia defend against the Volunteers’ potent passing attack. Then, in the National Championship, Smith had another interception, totaled a career-high number of tackles and also threw a key block on Kelee Ringo’s pick-six to seal the deal on the title game victory.

Instead of headed to the NFL, Smith decided to come back to Georgia for his fifth and final year of eligibility, one that came about due to COVID-19. Smith’s been even better in 2022, being named an unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award. He enters the College Football Playoffs as Georgia’s fourth-leading tackler with 50 stops and a team-high three interceptions, including a pair at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He also had a crucial 96-yard touchdown return on a blocked LSU field goal in the SEC Championship Game.

“I feel like you can never envision something like that. I’ve just tried to keep my head down and put in the work and work as hard as possible,” Smith said about his senior season. “Me personally, I knew throughout my whole career that hard work really pays off. I couldn’t see it being exactly this, but I always strive for success.”

“I’m a huge Chris Smith fan,” Georgia co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Will Muschamp, a former Georgia safety himself, added. “And I agree. I like how you phrased the question of the age of the transfer portal. Here’s a guy that doesn’t really hit the field till his fourth year, or third year, and then going into his fourth year, and has played — in my two years at Georgia, has played phenomenal, has played outstanding football. Extremely bright, extremely intelligent, very competitive, great leader. A guy that’s really affected people around him in a very positive way. Physical player. I mean, all the intangible attributes, you can’t — I wouldn’t stop. We’d be here for a while. And what he has meant for our program and what he’s brought to the University of Georgia, and his last two years have been pretty amazing how he’s played.”

Smith and his teammates will take the field once against at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. While the previous two games at the Benz this year, and the others that came before that during his career, have been important, this one has a spot in the National Championship Game on the line. Kickoff between Georgia and Ohio State is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.