Brett Thorson is a “Pleasant Surprise” Smart Says

Just this time a year ago Brett Thorson announced his commitment to the University of Georgia, as the Australian punter was looking to become the replacement of now-former Georgia punter Jake Camarda. Thorson joined the Bulldogs' signing class officially on Early National Signing Day as he became the first Bulldog to sign his letter of intent.

Since signing his NLI he is a part of the big class of early enrolling freshmen in Athens. Smart spoke with the media on Thursday during his press conference and shoot some praise the way of the freshman Australian punter as he adjusts to life not only in Athens but the country as a whole.

“It is just punting. There is nothing special about what he is doing. I think when you think about Australians you think of rugby punting when they roll and punt. From obviously watching it he can do that and that is something that we will explore but that is not what we are working on right now. We are working on our different protections, different looks, checking protections and allowing him to kick under pressure because that is the thing that he has not been able to simulate, to kick under pressure. Replacing Jake Camarda will be key. I thought he had some good punts today and he hit his directions which is important. If you have to punt left you have to hit it left and if you have to punt right you have to hit it right, we call that our field zones. I thought he did a good job of doing that. So far this spring he has been a pleasant surprise. Probably not where Jake was last year but he has done a really good job. He has had a really smooth transition.”

- Kirby Smart on Brett Thorson

Smart is right, replacing punter Jake Camarda in 2022 will be “key” for Georgia’s success on special teams. After a shaky start to his career in Athens where Camarda showed off his leg power but lacked consistency, the Norcross, Georgia, native turned into a weapon for Georgia in his final two seasons over 46-yards per punt.

With it still early into the offseason, hearing praise from Smart is a good thing as the transition from the Australian league to SEC Football will be just as steep as moving up from the high school level.

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