Nolan Smith Talks What he Sees in Georgia's Defense and Why he Elected to Return

Georgia Bulldogs senior defensive leader, Nolan Smith, talks about what he sees in Georgia's defense this year and why he ultimately elected to return at SEC Media day.

While Georgia was busy shipping off fifteen players to the NFL this offseason, the Bulldogs also managed to retain several key players from last season, including defensive leader, Nolan Smith. 

With the Bulldogs coming off of one the best defensive performances in college football history and losing quite a few members from that unit, there have been many questions about how Georgia will look on defense this season. Smith touched on the subject at SEC media day and spoke about what he sees in their defense heading into the 2022 season. 

"I see a bunch of young guys that fly around and is just excited to learn football. Excited to be under Coach Smart, I mean he's done for 10-12 years at Bama being a great DC, and I just think that's the ultimate reason why I came back. Being able to learn from him and just take every day in as you can one step at a time and be where your feet are. Another thing that we learned." 

With Smith electing to forgo the NFL draft and return to Athens, he is now a focal point of the Bulldog's defense. Smith has appeared in 38 total games over the past three seasons while racking up 92 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles over the past three seasons. He brings a lot of valuable experience to a defense that will not have as much of that as in past years. 

Smith also commented about his love for the University and how much his senior year means to him. Smith said, "It's my last year... I get emotional thinking about it just because I'm a senior and I played four years at Georgia and I love this University." 

He has been tabbed by his peers as a vocal leader on and off the field for the Bulldogs and will play a pivotal role for the Bulldogs on defense in a multitude of ways throughout the 2022 season.  

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