What Kirby Smart said during Atlanta radio show appearance ahead of spring game

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are getting set for their annual spring game, taking place this Saturday at Sanford Stadium. The defending National Champions have quite a bit to replace and have taken steps towards doing so this spring. Saturday will be yet another opportunity to do just that, only this time in front of a packed house in The Classic City.

Prior to G-Day, Smart took to Atlanta radio 680 The Fan and spoke with former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue about spring practice, the upcoming scrimmage and more. Here’s what he had to say.

On his hopes for G-Day

“You always like to see these young guys react to a big environment. I don’t think any of these guys, the new ones, have played in front of a crowd this size in their career. So I like to see the mid-years and some of the guys that maybe didn’t have a bigger role last year take on a bigger role. If you think about last year’s G-Day game and some of the guys that made plays, Stetson (Bennett) wasn’t getting a ton of reps, and AD Mitchell made some big catches. That kind of was foreshadowing for the season.”

On no bad practices, if he considers this a successful spring

“I wouldn’t say that. That was a few weeks ago. We probably had one or two that I was disappointed in since then. That was a statement made prior to a few practices that we probably didn’t get as much out of as I would like. That’s usually what happens as practice goes on. They get tired of hitting each other and things like that. But I have been pleased with the progress we’ve made. We’ve been able to get a lot of quality reps. We’ve improved our depth, not to where we need to be, but we’ve improved it. There are a lot of guys that have gotten some work due to some injured players, and I think that’s going to create a lot of competition in the fall.”

On if spring football is all about getting reps

“Always. It’s always about getting reps and growth. You just want to get better as a player, and you get to focus on your academics. There’s less stress, no games, days off in between the practices so you come back with really good recovery. You’re able to do a little more in each practice because you’ve got that day off in between.”

On the offensive line, Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon

“Both of those guys have played a considerable amount of football. Warren, he’s been a two year starter and worked really hard at that position. He has to continue to improve. He can’t get complacent. He’s got to do a better job playing with power and doing some things in the run game, but I’ll tell you, he’s tough, he works really hard each day, day in and day out. And Broderick’s gotten better. I think Coach Searels has brought a little new energy to those guys, teaching those guys. Sometimes when you get a new coach, you learn new things. You learn new ways to do things. I think that’s been important for those guys. The development of the rest of the group, we’ve got 14-15 guys in that unit that are getting better day in and day out. I do think that finding tackles is the key to success. When you start looking at it, you’ve got to have three to four guys who can play the position because we’ve had guys get injured throughout the years at that position.”

On young offensive linemen getting reps

“Yeah, we’ve still got some guys injured in that group, but we’ll have a good group out there ready to practice, ready to play the game.”

On specific position that he’s seen the most competition at this spring

“Probably the offensive line is the one that’s had the most competition in terms of guys being really close to each other in terms of reps, competition and growing. We’ve had some depth issues at some other positions that’s hurt the competition because you don’t have enough guys, but that offensive line group has had a lot of quality competition.”

On Carson Beck, the progress he’s made

“Carson and Brock (Vandagriff) both have. They’ve both grown immensely, and from start to finish, Gunner Stockton has. All those guys have shown a lot of promise. I feel like Carson and Brock have really moved in terms of their ability to make decision, to handle the offense, to everything that goes into being a quarterback in our offense which is a lot of decision making, a lot of protection, a lot of communication. They’ve both done a really good job of getting better at that. You only get better through taking the reps, so thank goodness we’ve been able to get them a lot of work.”

On if he’s been encouraged by the defense and those stepping up this spring

“Yeah, it’s been great development for them to go against our offense, day in and day out. We’ve had some guys out at the inside linebacker position with some injuries whether it’s Rian Davis, Smael Mondon, Trezmen’s (Marshall) been in and out, CJ’s (Washington) been out. So what’s happened there has been a few guys have gotten all the reps. We’re looking forward to getting some guys back off of injury for the summer so that we can be ready to go for the fall. But a lot of new faces, and a lot of guys making progress. The way you make progress sometimes is you make mistakes. We’ve had plenty of those we’ve been able to grow from this spring going against our offense.”

On the defensive line, who has stepped up this spring

“I’ve seen some good competition out of that group. They’re competing. Tray Scott does a tremendous job with them. Some huge holes to fill, that’s obvious. You’re going to have three guys drafted out of that unit. Some guys have been growing in the background. Zion Logue’s growing up. He’s been in the program. He’s developed. He’s been in the weight room. Tyrion Ingram Dawkins is a guy that’s been growing. He’s getting better. Chaz (Chambliss) is getting better. We’ve got to create some depth at those positions. Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse are guys that have been working in the program behind those other guys silently so that they get their opportunity. They’ve got to continue to get stronger and be able to play with really good stamina, but they’re going to be really good football players.”

On Kelee Ringo, what he’s seen from the cornerbacks this spring

“I think Kelee’s taken a good step. He’s not let any of the accolades from the one play go to his head. He’s realized he’s got to develop and grow. I’ve seen him grow as a leader and really try to work at his trait. As far as the other corner position, we’ve continued to work at that. We’ve got some guys competing for it. We’ve got to continue to search. We’ve had some safeties injured. Chris (Smith) has been dinged up. Dan’s (Jackson) been dinged up. David Daniel’s gotten a lot of work. We’re a work in progress, very similar to how we were last year in the secondary. We had to replace a lot of guys last year, and we were able to do that with a good front. This year we’re going to have a lot of guys to replace in the secondary, and we’ve got to get better there.”

On managing the transfer portal

“I don’t know that there’s a lot of managing it to it. I mean, kids make decisions based on what they feel like is best for them. There’s not a lot you can control on that. I really focus on the guys that are here that want to be part of our standard, be part of our organization and be part of the culture we’ve built. And that has to sell itself, and I’m worried about the ones that want to be here — not the ones that don’t. I don’t really think you do a lot to manage the portal because those are decisions they have to make. I have too much conviction for the standard with which we practice with, we play with, we work with. And the guys that want to be part of that, we’re going to have them here.”

On how excited he is to get in Sanford Stadium again

“I get excited because I get to go to Sanford Stadium and play in the best stadium in the country. Fans get to enjoy it, and hopefully — hopefully — we get some good weather. It seems like the last couple G-Days have been really tough weather-wise, but I’m looking forward to having maybe some great weather to get a great turnout.”

On what’s next for him after spring practice

“The biggest thing will be out players, exit interviews, evaluations on what we can do to help them career wise, internship opportunities, May is a big month for them to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their life, and I’ll be focused on meeting with guys and seeing what we can do as an organization to help them better.”

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