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Georgia confirms Kelton Smith's football retirement

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•07/16/24•

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Kelton Smith
Kelton Smith/Instagram

Prior to its spot at SEC Media Days in Dallas, Tex. on Tuesday, Georgia has announced that redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kelton Smith has retired from football. The statement from UGA confirms a DawgsHQ report from late last month.

According to the program, Smith is taking a medical disqualification due to a preexisting condition. The Bulldog medical closely monitored the condition during his first season on campus but after consulting with medical experts, UGA and Smith’s family have decided that it is best that he step away from the game.

“This is never an easy transition for a player and we vow to stick with Kelton during this period and provide him the support he needs,” said head coach Kirby Smart.  “It is tough losing a person of Kelton’s character but we look forward to him staying a part of our program.”

The Columbus, Ga. native will remain on scholarship at Georgia. Smith will also have the opportunity to complete his degree at UGA and he will be involved with the football program according to the statement.

Smith’s Georgia career ends without him taking a snap. The Carver High School product didn’t play at all in 2023 and didn’t even dress out for most, if not all, games. He was one of five offensive lineman signed by the Bulldogs in the 2023 class. There are three of those players still on campus — Monroe Freeling, Bo Hugley, and Jamal Meriweather — after Joshua Miller elected to transfer after the end of the 2023 season.

At 6-foot-4 315 pounds, Smith was ranked as the No. 187 overall prospect in the country and the No. 13 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings. He was the No. 15 player in Georgia.

The On3 in-house rankings viewed him as the nation’s No. 106 overall prospect and the No. 8 interior offensive lineman. Smith was the No. 8 player in Georgia per those rankings. Despite the fact that he was tabbed as an interior offensive lineman coming out of high school, Georgia listed him on the depth chart last season as a tackle.

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