Senior DB Christopher Smith Leaving His Mark In Georgia Bulldog History
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ATHENS - If you were to write a book about the 2021 or 2022 Georgia Bulldogs, you couldn’t write much before mentioning defensive back, Christopher Smith.
In fact, you might start off with Smith, whose giant pick-six against Clemson in the 2021 season opener jump-started Georgia’s national championship run and paved the way for the best college football defense of all time.
One of Georgia’s lowest-ranked signees in their top-ranked 2018 recruiting class, Smith has turned into a leader for the nation’s No. 1 defense this season. He’s made play after play over the last two seasons and has already left his mark in Georgia Bulldog history. That being a key INT against Alabama in the second half of last year’s national championship game. With the help of Smith’s INT, the Bulldogs would defeat Alabama 33-18 to win the national championship.
Like you could forget....
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The Atlanta native out of Hapeville Charter didn’t earn a starting role until later in the 2020 season, but has been a reliable defender in the secondary ever since. There was no transfer portal nonsense with Christopher Smith. The hard-working defensive back has always loved the University of Georgia, and made that clear to Dawg Post when he was a four-star recruit in high school.
Playing in his final season, Smith has turned into a leader and one of the best defenders on the nation’s best defense. When asked about his veteran safety, head coach Kirby Smart had nothing but praise for the seasoned veteran.
“His toughness and leadership stands out”, Smart told reporters. “He was always a competitor, a great kid, comes from a great family, great high school background, played corner, played everything we asked. If anything, he’s grown as a leader. He’s probably had some anger management moments where he’s gotten really upset out on the field and he’s matured so much. I can still remember him trying to fight guys at practice because I made him run one day for other guys’ academic problems and he was ready to kill somebody. He’s just gotten so much more mature since being here and he’s such a great leader. So, thankful that he’s come back.”
That’s classic Christopher Smith. The guy means business. He’s never been one to have a relaxed attitude about football. He’s someone who works hard, learns from his mistakes, and does his best to get better and better every time he hits the field. You can see it in his play, and his play has been excellent over the last two seasons.
Now, he’s a Bronco Nagurski Award finalist, an award given to the best player in college football. So far this season, Smith has made 47 tackles (4th on the team), four TFLs, one QB sack, two interceptions, five pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
“It is definitely an honor just to be mentioned with the rest of the players that are up for the award as well” Smith told reporters. “I put in a lot of work to get here, and I know that I have to continue to put in that same ground work. I got here by the grace of God with the help of my teammates and coaches. They put a lot into me. It is definitely an honor.”
From a forgotten about signee in the 2018 class to one of the best overall defenders in college football. That’s one hell of a story.
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