Report says NFL team ‘interested in speaking’ to Smart

Buccaneers ‘hopeful of making a splash,’ La Canfora says.

The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers are “interested in speaking” with UGA coach Kirby Smart, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Can- fora.

Here’s what La Canfora wrote: “With (Nick) Saban completing another historic season at Alabama, multiple teams conducting head-coaching searches want to speak to him this week, knowing full well it may be close to impossible to land him. The allure of Saban and his accomplished assistants is significant at a time when many candidates for jobs lack the proven ability to assemble a staff and manage a game and per- sonalities the way he has. In particular, sources said that Tampa Bay’s owner- ship — still hopeful of mak- ing a splash — would be inter- ested in speaking to Georgia coach Kirby Smart, a former Saban assistant.”

Despite the report, it seems like a long shot that Smart would be interested in leaving UGA for the Bucs or any NFL team. Smart, 43, is already one of college foot- ball’s highest-paid coaches and UGA is his alma mater.

The Bulldogs seem like Smart’s “dream job,” but reports and rumors like this will be annual event when a college coach has had enor- mous success in short time, as Smart has enjoyed at UGA. In three years with the Bulldogs, Smart has posted a 32-10 record and an appear- ance in last year’s national championship game.

Back to the CBS article: It primarily focused on NFL interest in Saban, who was disappointing as coach of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 2005-2006. However, that hasn’t stopped other NFL teams from wanting to talk to Saban again over the years after his sustained success at Alabama. Nevertheless, at 67 years old, Saban seems closer to retirement than he does returning to NFL.

Mathis arrives: Georgia football quarterback signee Dwan Mathis has arrived at Georgia to begin his collegiate career.

“Every day at Georgia will be a new adventure, it’s all about opportunity,” Mathis told DawgNation during an interview at his home in Romulus, Mich., two days before arriving in Georgia.

Mathis completed four online classes during the fall semester in addition to his regular course work at Oak Park (Mich.) High School to be eligible to enroll early and take part in the Bulldogs’ spring football drills.“Our family is thankful for this opportunity the University of Georgia has provided to Dwan,” said Terence Mathis, the quarterback’s father.

Blankenship stays: Looks like opposing teams will have to respect the specs for another season in Athens, as kicker Rodrigo Blankenship announced he would be returning to Athens for his senior season.

Underclassmen have until Jan. 14 to declare for the NFL draft, which takes place April 25-27 in Nashville. The NFL combine is Feb. 26 through March 4 in Indianapolis.

Tight end Isaac Nauta, receivers Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman and run- ning back Elijah Holyfield declared for the draft Friday.

Blankenship, who began his career as a walk-on before he was awarded a schol- arship, ranked 10th in the nation in scoring this season (122).

Sunday night, safety J.R. Reed said he will return to Georgia for his senior season.

In a Twitter post, Reed wrote, “After talking with my family and Coach Smart, I have decided to come back …”

Reed had 58 tackles and two interceptions for Geor- gia last season. He had 79 tackles and two intercep- tions in 2017.

Reed transferred to Geor- gia after beginning his col- legiate career at the University of Tulsa. Staff and news services

Trae Young scored 19 points, John Collins had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the Hawks snapped a threegame skid with a 106-82 victory over the visiting Miami Heat on Sunday night.

Young received a big compliment when the game ended, as 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, who is retiring after the season, took his jersey off at halfcourt and made a swap with the Atlanta rookie.

Perhaps it helped Wade get over the Heat’s worst performance of the season. Coming off two straight wins that had moved it over .500 for the first time since Oct. 27, Miami was listless all night against a rebuilding team missing its secondand third-leading scorers and lost for the third time to an opponent that has just 12 victories.

DeAndre’ Bembry finished with 17 points in a starting role, and Jeremy Lin came off the bench to add 15 for Atlanta.

Young, the NBA’s fifth overall draft pick, had some dazzling moves handling the ball, but he finished with just two assists. His skills were still enough to impress Wade.

Derrick Jones Jr. led Miami with 14 points, Justise Winslow scored 13 and Wade and Josh Richardson each had 11 for the Heat, who seemed disinterested in defending after the Hawks

jumped to a comfortable lead late in the third.

Miami missed 20 of its first 22 attempts beyond the arc before Wade hit his 500th career 3-pointer. He joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 3s.

The matchup seemed heavily in Miami’s favor with the Hawks coming off a 32-point loss at Milwaukee, but the Heat struggled throughout the first half, going 1 for 16 on 3s, getting outrebounded 33-24 and committing 10 turnovers that led to 11 Atlanta points.

Roster move

The Hawks recalled Omari Spellman from the NBA G League on Sunday. The rookie forward played three games for the Erie BayHawks in the assignment.

In the three G League games, all starts, Spellman averaged 16.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes.

Prior to the assignment, Spellman appeared in 23 games, including eight starts, for the Hawks. He averaged 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.7 minutes.

Tip-ins

Heat: G Dion Waiters is still far from 100 percent. He missed his second straight game since making his first appearance in over a year when the Heat won at Cleveland last Wednesday. Waiters, who played because Wade was sidelined by a virus, is still limited by a sore left ankle that required surgery last January.

Hawks: With G Kent Baze- more out the next two weeks with a right ankle injury, Bembry made his third start. Hamilton started in Friday’s blowout loss at Milwaukee. … Lin had his 500th career assist.

Showing Wade love

The Hawks showed a video tribute to Wade early in the first quarter. He received a standing ovation, smiled and waved to the crowd.

It didn’t take Wade long to stir excitement when entered the game a few minutes later. He flipped a backward pass over his shoulder to assist on Jones’ dunk and took a pass on the baseline to hit a double-pump reverse layup that cut the lead to 23-16.

After the game ended and he walked off the court holding Young’s jersey, Wade stopped to another standing ovation on one end of the arena. He signed some auto- graphs, smiled and headed into the tunnel.