Mixture of new, old faces define spring for Bulldogs
The injury report has been long for Georgia this spring, including names like Brock Bowers, Rian Davis and Tate Ratledge.
Many of the players currently limited in their onfield action have been with the team for multiple seasons, and they are missing valuable time to step up and fill in the void left by those leaving the team.
Wideout Arian Smith is one of these players. Smith is a redshirt sophomore who has been praised for his speed, which he displayed during a 61-yard touchdown catch against UAB last season.
Smith is currently dealing with a lower leg injury, though he remains confident about what he can bring to the team.
“It’s my third year. Even though I’ve been hurt, I still know the offense,” Smith said. “I know everything. It’s just, you know, the injuries holding me back.”
Linebacker Trezmen Marshall is in a similar situation. The junior saw his most action of the season in the game against UAB, racking up a career-best four tackles in the game.
He’s been sidelined with a knee injury, but despite that, he’s optimistic about how next season will go.
“That’s really what I’m doing, cherishing the whole opportunity and just being at UGA,” Marshall said. “You know, I’m gonna give it all I got.”
YOUNG PLAYERS DEVELOPING IN PRACTICE
Marshall noted that he learned a lot from Nakobe Dean during his time at Georgia,
and with him moving on, the linebacker room was adapting to his absence.
One part of that, Marshall said, was making sure the younger players were able to speak up and have their voices heard.
“We’re all giving tremendous effort,” he said. “Right now, we’re just working on the connection part, like being together and everything.”
Marshall emphasized the importance of communication to the group, something the team values as a whole. For his part, Smith makes sure to speak with freshman wideout C.J. Smith during
walkthroughs in practice.
Arian Smith, who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash in high school, named C.J. Smith as one of the fastest players on the team, along with Kelee Ringo. Arian Smith expressed that he sees bright things in the future for the first year receiver.
“He can be a good player,” Arian Smith said. “I feel like he’s got to learn. That’s the big thing, learning, because that offense is not easy.”