Nolan Smith sure to stay involved with Georgia after injury by being his best Bulldog teammate
ATLANTA — There’s no doubt in the mind of Georgia fans, Nolan Smith has solidified status as a Damn Good Dawg. The Savannah, Ga. native chose to come to Athens as the No. 1 overall player in the country out of high school in the Class of 2019, contributed right away and always gave his all for the G. Sure, his 114 career tackles speak for themselves, but it mean something more to Smith to be a Bulldog than just what went on between the lines. That’s why he decided to come back for his senior season in 2022.
Unfortunately for Smith, his season ended sooner than he thought. The projected NFL Draft pick underwent surgery in early November for a torn pectoral muscle. Still, he’s managed to be a part of the story for Georgia’s 2022 season, one that sees the Bulldogs as the No. 1 team in the nation headed into Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinals.
“I wouldn’t really say I’ve been a coach. I just try to do my part and help out the outside linebackers as much as I can,” Smith said. “Just being there, giving all that energy and trying to be the same guy that I was when I was playing to get the guys going and make sure the mood stays up, there are smiles and making sure we’re having fun. Football is a game of fun, and sometimes we forget.”
Smith, who’s now out of the sling that he donned for some time after the surgery, has been on the sideline for every game since suffering the injury. He even made sure to come back out of the locker room and be with his teammates in Jacksonville as Georgia took down rival Florida, the game in which his injury occurred.
Smith has also found ways to support his teammates with his choice of clothing on the sideline. Wearing a Stetson Bennett shirt for a few games plus a Brock Bowers jersey for another, he’s been front and center trying to be the leader he was before the injury, even if he can’t be between the lines.
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“It was really emotional for me (the injury), and it was something that you just have to battle on your own. But I keep going back to what Coach Smart tells me. He said the team needs me and I need them, and he was really right. I need these guys, and they need me. I think I need them a lot more.”
Smith has tried to stay involved on the field too. He’s an active participant in practice when he’s not rehabbing, going through flex period and doing as much as he can, running from station to station with his teammates too. Smith said he usually ‘hovers around the outside linebackers’ because he doesn’t want to be in the wrong telling another position group what to do and end up being wrong. However, with the outside linebackers, he’s been helpful.
“I’m pretty sure I know the outside linebackers’ job pretty well,” Smith joked. “I can tell them what to do and what Coach Smart is looking for because I did it and I tried to make it look good for him when he looked at it on film … We always say, ‘When one person in the ‘Pack eats, we all eat,’ and we’re only as good as each other. I’ve tried to tell them that since I was playing, and a lot of guys took that to heart.”
Smith of course will be on the sideline this Saturday when Georgia takes on Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He plans to wear his own jersey this time with the chance that it’s his last time doing so for a Georgia game. Of course he hopes that it isn’t and is going to do whatever he can to help make sure the Bulldogs beat the Buckeyes. Kickoff time of the semifinal matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
