Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver, who led UGA in receiving yards, announces his 2025 NFL draft plans
Georgia Bulldogs senior wide receiver Arian Smith has declared for the 2025 NFL draft. Smith finished the 2024 college football season as Georgia’s leading receiver.
Smith, who had one season of eligibility left, is also the fastest player on Georgia’s roster. Smith was Georgia’s top deep threat in 2024 and is departure stings, but Georgia has already added another speedy wide receiver in USC Trojans transfer Zachariah Branch. Smith should run among the fastest 40-yard dash times at the NFL combine.
As a senior, Smith recorded a team-high 817 receiving yards on 48 receptions. Smith hauled in four receiving touchdowns. The most memorable play of his career came in the 2022 Peach Bowl, when he burned an Ohio State defensive back for a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarterback to help Georgia win in dramatic fashion.
Smith is not ranked on Pro Football Focus’ 2025 NFL draft big board. Smith had some struggles with drops in 2024, but one NFL team will take a shot on his combination of speed and experience.
Smith announced his decision to enter the draft via social media.
Georgia standout WR Arian Smith accepts Senior Bowl Invitation
Georgia Bulldogs standout wide receiver Arian Smith plans to play in the 2025 Senior Bowl. Smith is the third Georgia player to accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl, which will be played in Mobile, Alabama, on Feb. 1, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Smith, who is from Bradley, Florida, began his Georgia career in 2021. Based on his acceptance of a Senior Bowl invitation, he will likely be entering the 2025 NFL draft.
Smith has been in a limited role in his previous years at Georgia, but aplayed in all 14 games in 2024. His most memorable performance was the 2022 Peach Bowl. Smith recorded three catches for 129 yards and a touchdown during a thrilling 42-41 victory over Ohio State. His 76-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter narrowed Ohio State’s lead to three points. After the Buckeyes managed a field goal on the following drive, it set the stage for the Bulldogs to seize the lead on their next possession.
Smith was a starter for the Georgia offense in 2024. He has only missed the College Football Playoff once and is a two-time national champion. Smith, who also ran track at Georgia, has a chance to run one of the fastest 40-yard dashes at the NFL combine.
The Senior Bowl is an annual predraft scrimmage. Tons of NFL draft scouts and executives attend the event.
Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith after the Sugar Bowl: “They didn’t really do anything to like stop us. We just stopped ourselves.”
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith made one of the Bulldogs’ only big plays in UGA’s 23-10 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl.
After the game, Smith gave credit to Notre Dame, but regretted that the Bulldogs did not play better. He emphasized the mistakes that Georgia made.
“Give all the credit to them (Notre Dame). They did a good job of doing things in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams,” Smith said after the Sugar Bowl.
“It is hard to bounce back when you give up a, I don’t know how long it was, 99 yard kickoff return, have two fumbles and two turnovers and just give them the ball like that,” Smith continued. “We just handed them success, you know. They didn’t really do anything to like stop us. We just stopped ourselves.”
The Sugar Bowl was an evenly matched defensive brawl until Notre Dame scored 17 points in 54 seconds via a field goal, a forced fumble (Notre Dame scored one play later), and a kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half.
Georgia’s errors combined with Notre Dame’s forced turnovers and kickoff return was a bad recipe for UGA quaterback Gunner Stockton and company. Like much of the 2024 season, Georgia played from behind too often. This time, it came back to bite Georgia.
The running back trio of Nate Frazier, Cash Jones, and Roderick Robinson made some great plays in this game, despite Georgia only amassing 108 rushing yards. Cash Jones had a beautiful touchdown in the second overtime off a wheel route, and Nate Frazier punched in the game-winning two-point conversion.
Unfortunately, several players also underperformed. The wide receiver room struggled outside of London Humphreys. Arian Smith had two crucial drops in the end zone, and Dominic Lovett fumbled the ball when Georgia was driving in the second quarter. The pass rushing unit was also pretty underwhelming, not making an impact until Georgia started blitzing more.
HIGHEST AND LOWEST PFF GRADES FROM THE GEORGIA OFFENSE AND DEFENSE VS. Georgia Tech
Offense
Best Grades
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Tight End Benjamin Yurosek: 77.1 overall grade, 67.1 receiving grade, 70.3 pass-blocking grade, 78.6 run-blocking grade
Georgia football quarterback Carson Beck earns significant props for his career-best performance last week
PFF just released their team of the best players from Week 7, and after Georgia’s 41-31 shootout against Mississippi State, and there were several Georgia Bulldogs that made all-conference teams, but quarterback Carson Beck made the national All-SEC team.
Beck had a historic amount of yards passing against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and he also threw three touchdowns that day. Despite having two interceptions, he was the catalyst of the offense and the biggest reason why the Georgia Bulldogs weren’t upset against a team Georgia was projected to beat by over 33 points. Overall, his PFF grade was a 90.7, the highest offense grade given out to any Georgia offensive player from last week.
He wasn’t the only Bulldog who made one of PFF’s Week 7 teams. In the SEC, wide receiver Arian Smith and safety Malaki Starks both made the All-SEC team. Smith had a stellar day catching passes from Beck, totaling 134 yards on just five receptions, with a touchdown.
Despite the secondary showing concerns last week, Malaki Starks did his part, earning an 80.5 grade on PFF.
Four years into his UGA career, one speedy Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver has been generating a lot of buzz this spring
Four years into his Georgia Bulldogs career, one Georgia wide receiver has been garnering a lot of buzz regarding his development this spring. Arian Smith has reportedly developed his skillset to a new level this spring, and coupled with his experience, he could be one of the top weapons for quarterback Carson Beck in 2024.
Kirby Smart recently commented on Smith’s progress, saying, “I think we’ve made a concerted effort to spend more time on developing Arian…We’ve taken some of those times that he’s invested four years in special teams work, and we’ve allowed him to really grow as a wideout. I think it’s helped him do that.”
Smith has made his presence known this spring, hauling in a pair of explosive catches in both of Georgia’s scrimmages so far.
Smith has mostly been used as a vertical threat for the Bulldogs over his four years in Athens, averaging nearly 27 yards per catch. He started two games for the Dawgs a season ago, catching eight passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 20 targets. However, he came on strong with a catch in every game at the end of the year, including a 51-yard deep ball against Alabama and a touchdown in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.
Smith has also received praise from his teammates, including starting receiver Dominic Lovett, who referred to him as “the spark-plug” of the receiving room. As the Dawgs seek to replace Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Smith’s emergence could prove to be a major difference in the offensive outlook for 2024.
Smith breaks down freshman WRs Yazeed Haynes, Tyler Williams and Anthony Evans…
Georgia signed three four-star receivers in its No. 2 ranked 2023 recruiting class in Yazeed Haynes, Tyler Williams and Anthony Evans.
Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith spoke about each of the new wideouts in a post-practice press conference on Tuesday.
“He’s [Yazeed Haynes] just quick. He’s just a natural receiver — like, he don’t have to get taught to, like, run routes. It’s just [about] him learning the plays. Once he learns the plays and learns the offense, he’s going to be good”
Haynes, out of Fort Washington, Pa., was rated as the No. 27 wideout, according to rankings by 247Sports.
Smith continued with a comparison to a former NFL receiver when speaking of Evans.
“He’s [Anthony Evans] fast. He’s going to be good, too,” Smith said. “He reminds me a lot like Percy Harvin with the way he runs. It’s like effortless.”
Evans, out of Converse, Texas, was rated as the No. 29 receiver in the 2023 class.
Lastly, Smith described Williams, who was the highest-rated receiver signed coming it at No. 17. Smith and Williams both attended Lakeland High School in Florida
“[He’s] strong. Strong hands. You know, the early [enrollee] guys have got to learn the offense. They’ve got to take the time to learn first.”
We will get a good look at how the young wideouts are progressing when the Dawgs take the field at the annual ‘G-Day’ spring game in Sanford Stadium on April 15.
‘Just keep your head straight, focus on the present and do what you can to be healthy.’
Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith is no stranger to dealing with injury. The speedster has missed multiple games in each of his first three seasons in Athens.
When UGA running back Kendall Milton went down with a hamstring injury during spring practice, Smith says he shared some advice he learned from his past experience.
“Really focus on the time, like the present. I try not to think about the future or past. It happened. Unfortunately, I’ve had three, so it happens a lot. I told K Milt earlier today, it happens man. My roommate Daijun (Edwards), he has been dealing with something too. Just keep your head straight, focus on the present and do what you can to be healthy.”
Milton dealt with a similar injury during the 2022 season and ended up missing two games. Even still, Milton had a strong season and finished as the Bulldogs third-leading rusher behind Kenny McIntosh and Daijun Edwards.
We’ve seen flashes of great ability from both Smith and Milton over their careers, but we have yet to see the pair play an entire season.
You can’t help but think how good this offense can be in 2023 with Smith and Milton at full force.
Per reports, WR Arian Smith suffered an ankle injury that is expected to require surgery.
Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith suffered an ankle injury during practice on Thursday that is expected to require surgery, according to a report from Palmer Thombs of Dawgs HQ.
Smith is likely to miss the remainder of fall camp, and a timetable for his return is not known.
As first reported by Dawgs Central and confirmed by DawgsHQ, Smith suffered an ankle injury during practice on Thursday. Initially, the injury was one that wasn’t believed to be all too serious, however further evaluation has revealed Smith could miss more time than thought. He is expected to have surgery to repair the injury.
The former four-star wide receiver and track star from Lakeland, Florida, has struggled to stay healthy since signing with Georgia as a member of its 2020 recruiting class.
Smith was limited to four games as a true freshman due to surgery on a broken wrist and another on a torn meniscus. After multiple injuries last offseason, Smith missed a number of games in 2021 with a lower-leg contusion before suffering a broken leg in practice that ended his season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChK20djFnIW/?hl=en
Per Evan Crowell of Dawgs Daily, Smith was having a successful fall camp prior to the injury:
Sources indicate that Smith is coming into his own this offseason, partly because of necessity. He’s routinely making the down field plays Georgia fans have become familiar with, but sources have indicated he’s becoming much more of a refined route runner as well.
When healthy enough to play, Smith has performed well, using his world-class speed to make big plays. He has five career receptions for 188 yards (37.6 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. That’s one incredible conversion rate.
I’m going to say this right now. Arian Smith, when it’s all said and done, will be the most prolific WR to ever suit up in the Red and Black. WATCHpic.twitter.com/KjVLKwLo6h
Following a Black team touchdown from Stetson Bennett to Arik Gilbert, Red team quarterback Carson Beck said it was his turn to show the DawgNation what he’s made of.
It did not take long for the Red team to strike back. Beck hit wide receiver Arian Smith for a quick 60 yard strike to put them in scoring range.
Smith played in four games last season, his sophomore year, missing time with a leg contusion before eventually breaking his leg in November.
Additionally, Smith played in four games as a true freshman due to surgery on a broken wrist and another on a torn meniscus. He is a track star and was regarded as the fastest player in his class during the 2020 recruiting cycle.
The drive ended with a Daijun Edwards touchdown run.
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