The Day Roquan Smith Picked UGA

February 13, 2015 wrapped up one of the wildest recruitments in college football history... Roquan Smith‍ picked Georgia for the first and last time on this day in 2015. 

That Smith’s recruitment was so wild was one thing - that he would be so consequential in the 2017 season was another. His third-down stop late in the 2018 Rose Bowl Game helped the Bulldogs eventually win in overtime. 

He would go on to be drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. 

February 13, 2015 - Roquan Smith Picks UGA Once and For All

By Dean Legge

ATHENS - The final piece of Georgia’s recruiting puzzle is in - and he fits. 

Roquan Smith, who made national headlines by delaying signing a letter of intent after committing to UCLA over Georgia on Signing Day, committed to the Bulldogs on Friday over the Bruins. 

Smith said that he knew as early as Wednesday of this week that he was headed to Athens. 

“I’m 100% sure,” Smith said earlier this week. 

For the Bulldogs it officially ends the most successful recruiting class in the history of the school. Georgia jumped over Tennessee to finish No. 4 in Scout’s final recruiting rankings with Smith’s commitment. The Bulldogs have finished fourth before, but they have more recruits and more total points this year than they did in 2006 when Matthew Stafford, Geno Atkins and Knowshon Moreno headlined a class that eventually had eight Bulldogs drafted by NFL teams. 

Smith said that he does not plan on signing a letter of intent to play for Georgia. Instead, he will sign financial aid papers that, according to NCAA bylaws, bind the Bulldogs to take Smith, but do not bind Smith to play for Georgia - a point that Smith says is just a precaution. He intends to play four years of football at Georgia and enroll in classes this summer, which would then bind him to the Bulldogs the way signing a letter of intent would have. 

“That’s my plan,” he said of playing college football at Georgia.  

Smith is considered the No. 1 overall middle linebacker by Scout. He’s a four-star recruit that Scout considers the No. 62 overall player in the country. Smith helped Macon County to a its best record (9-3) since 2005, and the Bulldogs’ 11th region title in school history. 

Smith figures to be a key cog in Georgia’s defense in the future. The Bulldogs are replacing two starting middle linebackers this fall, and while Smith has never played a down of college football insiders say he will have a chance to play a lot and possibly even start a game or two due to his ability to run and cover, which has become critical in this day’s SEC.