Nolan Smith says goodbye to Georgia, declares for NFL Draft

Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith could have left Athens and started to prepare for the NFL Draft when he got injured in October. His season was over then. Instead, the Savannah, Ga. stuck it out with his team, essentially served as an extra assistant on the sidelines and was rewarded with a second straight national championship. Now, Smith has officially announced what everybody has expected for quite some time; he’ll be declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft.

“I don’t want to cry… I want to start off by thanking God. He gave me these blessed abilities to play football, and I couldn’t do any of this without him. Secondly, I want to thank my mom. She’s my sunshine, and she’s the reason I really get up every day. Her being with me every step of the way has been amazing,” Smith said. “I just want to thank my teammates, everyone that I’ve played with at the University of Georgia this four years. It’s been a blessing. The first team to win a National Championship in 41 years last year, that was a special team for me. Those guys on defense, every guy in that I played a snap with, it was just so special. Y’all really impacted my life, and I will never forget those moments. Throughout these years, for us to wear the G, sharing those team runs and running those stadiums when no one is in there, when we’re on the field it’s just something that felt different together.”

“Also thank you to the strength staff. Coach Sinclair, all those years of just constantly lifting and helping me get to where I wanted to go. I also want to thank Coach LB for helping me through my surgery. When I was frustrated sometimes, he helped me through that. I just wanted to thank you Coach Smart for believing in a kid from Savannah, Ga. You just come reaching out to me, allowing me to play for your alma mater and wear the G that you wore. It just means so much to me. As a kid growing up watching Georgia, I just wanted to be a part of something that’s bigger than myself. That’s what you allowed me to be a part of,” Smith continued. “To Dawg Nation, there’s no more thank you that I can give to y’all. The loudest games, Arkansas we hit the decimal level at 12:00. No one would believe it. Even the most greatest game of them all in 41 years, the National Championship, Dawg Nation y’all really made that game so special. I still remember my first game like it was yesterday at Vandy, when I stepped out there I said, ‘Is this a home game?’ Everyone in the stadium, it was so loud, it was literally 75 percent of our fans. I just wanted to thank y’all for traveling across the country with us, with me throughout these four years. It’s been special, but this program was built on four things. It’s in the locker room, and you see it every day: connection, composure, discipline and toughness. As long as we have those things, and I say we because I’m going to be a Dawg for life, we’ll be all right. Next, I’ll be declaring for the NFL Draft.”

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Smith started eight games at outside linebacker for Georgia this season and for much of the year was the team-leader in sacks with 3.0 and seven tackles for loss. Prior to being sidelined for the season, Smith had a seven-game streak with a tackle for loss.

Smith could have gone pro after last season but decided to come back and build on what he had already done. He finished strong with two tackles for loss against Alabama in the National Championship Game. He also had a stop in the backfield against the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship and versus Michigan in the Orange Bowl. On the season, Smith totaled 56 tackles including nine for loss with 3.5 sacks. He also had two forced fumbles, one fumbles recovery and an interception on his way to twice being named SEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2021.