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Smael Mondon making strides in confidence, comfort on the field

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•11/16/22•

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Photo by Tony Walsh

ATHENS, Ga. — It may be hard to believe based on the way he played, but there was once a time this season when Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon wasn’t completely comfortable out on the field. That’s understandable considering he was helping fill the shoes of three inside linebackers taken in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, but you definitely don’t see it between the lines. Mondon, as well as his head coach Kirby Smart, spoke on that growth Tuesday.

“Probably maturity, being able to handle failure, mistakes,” Smart said when asked where he’s seen Mondon make the most improvement over the course of the season. “He struggled a little bit in the Missouri game when he had the injury, he made a couple mental errors, and then he bounced back after the injury, and he’s played with a lot more confidence since then.”

Mondon would agree. He admitted that early on in his time on the field, he was thinking a lot. Some of those thoughts probably weren’t productive for a player trying to step into a big shoes and take on a larger role. However, over as the season’s gone along, those thoughts aren’t there any more. He’s just playing football.

“I can’t really think of one play where I was like, ‘Alright, I’m here now,’ it’s kind of been gradual during my time at UGA, building up little by little,” Mondon said. “At this point, I’ve seen what I can do. Before I started my first game, I didn’t want to be the guy to mess up. I didn’t want to let anybody down. Now that’s not really something that’s on my mind. I’m more so trying to help the team out now.”

“I would say that I was too hyped up, not necessarily jittery and nervous. Over the last couple of games, I’ve played even keel, more so not too high, not too low … I would say my confidence level on the field. At the beginning of the year, I hadn’t started before. Now I’ve seen what I can do, I’ve got confidence and I’m trying to build on that.”

Mondon has started all eight games in which he’s played. He’s the team’s third-leading tackler with 41 stops despite missing two outings entirely due to injury. Mondon has 5.0 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries. This past Saturday he led the team with eight tackles in the win at Mississippi State. So, as Mondon looks to build on that and continues to get even more comfortable in his role, it’s scary to think what he’s capable of. And he’s got another season as a starter too.

Mondon and Georgia go on the road this week to Kentucky to take on the Wildcats. Kickoff time from Kroger Field in Lexington is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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