Tag: nolan smith uga

Georgia football OLB Nolan Smith is returning

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith is returning for his senior season!

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith is returning for his senior season. Smith’s return is huge for the Georgia defense. Now, the Bulldogs will have a top pass rusher with several years of experience.

Nolan Smith has played in 38 career games. Smith has 8.5 sacks in his three year career with the Bulldogs. He recorded 3.5 sacks, 56 tackles, one interception, and three forced fumbles in 2021.

Smith will be a leader on Georgia’s defense in 2022. Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star recruit. He was the nation’s top prospect in the class of 2019 according to various recruiting sites.

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith records a sack in the college football national championship game. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Smith played both defensive line and running back in high school. The Savannah, Georgia, product transferred to IMG Academy for his senior high school season.

The former five-star recruit is projected to start at outside linebacker for the Dawgs in 2022. Five-star outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. is expected to see immediate playing time as a freshman in 2022.

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2 Georgia Bulldogs earn SEC honors for South Carolina performance

Nolan Smith and Adonai Mitchell have earned weekly SEC awards for their performance versus South Carolina on Saturday night. Details here…

Georgia football’s dominant 40-13 performance versus South Carolina did not go unnoticed as two Bulldogs have earned weekly SEC honors.

Junior outside linebacker Nolan Smith has been named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and receiver Adonai Mitchell has been named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Smith racked up eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and this strip-sack, which resulted in a South Carolina turnover.

Mitchell caught a career-high four passes for 77 yards and his first career touchdown.

Seeing Mitchell step up in the absence of star receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock is huge for Georgia as they enter the meat of the SEC schedule.

On the other side, Smith has waited his turn behind eventual NFL draft picks and is showing why the former five-star recruit is going to be an absolute problem for opposing defenses this year. Smith already has 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks through three games.

No. 2 Georgia takes on Vanderbilt (0-3) Saturday in Nashville at noon.

UGA football player card: DL Warren Brinson

Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Warren Brinson played high school football at the prestigious IMG Academy

Warren Brinson, defensive lineman (No. 97):

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-4

Weight: 305 pounds

Hometown: Bradenton, Florida

High School: IMG Academy

Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Warren Brinson played high school football at the prestigious IMG Academy. Brinson enrolled early at the University of Georgia.

The four-star recruit will be a part of Georgia’s stout front seven. Brinson is a native of Savannah, Georgia and played football at Savannah Christian before coming to IMG Academy.

Last season, Georgia had the top run defense in the nation and allowed only two rushing touchdowns all season. Brinson will help provide depth and potential for the Dawgs. He’ll be an important player in the future.

Brinson will combine with Malik Herring, Devonte Wyatt, Nolan Smith, Travon Walker, Jermaine Johnson, Azeez Ojulari, Jordan Davis and more to form one of the top defensive fronts in the SEC next season. Dan Lanning’s defense should be a treat to watch.

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Georgia Bulldog OLB named 2020 SEC breakout player

Georgia Bulldogs defensive end/outside linebacker Nolan Smith will be a SEC breakout player next season

Respected college football analyst, Dr. SEC, believes that Georgia Bulldogs defensive end/outside linebacker Nolan Smith will be a SEC breakout player next season. Smith came to Athens as a five-star recruit. Some scouting services rated him as the top player in the country coming out of IMG Academy.

Smith has immense potential and was a key piece of Georgia’s defense, which held opponents to the fewest points per game in the NCAA last season. Smith and Georgia’s front seven were remarkable in stopping the run, but have room to improve in their pass rush.

If Dan Lanning and Georgia’s defense can improve their pass rush, then the Dawgs will be incredibly disruptive to every offense they face. Georgia’s 31.0 sacks last season ranked 60th in the NCAA. Nolan Smith’s progression could go a long way towards helping the Bulldogs have the best pass rush in the SEC.

Georgia’s defense returns the majority of their starters and key depth players. In fact, according to PFF, Georgia football returns the second most quarterback pressures in the FBS.

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Georgia Bulldogs player card: OLB Nolan Smith

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect from IMG Academy.

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Nolan Smith Outside Linebacker (#4):

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-3

Weight: 235 pounds

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia

High School: IMG Academy

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker/defensive end Nolan Smith came to Athens as an elite five-star prospect. He was the nation’s top prospect according to some sites. He played both defensive line and running back in high school (he transferred to IMG Academy for his senior season)

Smith saw a bunch of playing time as a freshman. He played in all 14 games and was around the quarterback a lot (15 pressures), but only converted those pressures into 2.5 sacks. Look for Smith to have a breakout season as a sophomore, even though he made a big impact as a freshman and was arguably UGA’s best pass-rusher.

Smith helped Georgia have the number one scoring defense and the nation’s top run defense in 2019. Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning and the Bulldog defense should be elite once again in 2020.

Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans: Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nolan Smith tackles Baylor Bears quarterback Jacob Zeno in the Sugar Bowl. Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

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