Georgia's Kirby Smart Tells The Honest Truth About Receiver Arian Smith
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ATHENS - Georgia Bulldog wide receiver Arian Smith is a “case study”.
That’s what head coach Kirby Smart told reporters on Monday about his electric, and still promising veteran wideout.
Everyone knows Arian Smith can run. He’s been one of the fastest players in college football for years now. He’s a true game-changer in that aspect, but he only caught 20 passes through his first four seasons.
That’s like watching lighting strike just once during a massive storm. It can’t happen.
But lighting might strike a lot in 2024.
Smith caught a team-high five passes against the Tigers in last week’s season opener, also a career-high.
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Now, the goal for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is to continue developing him in his final season. He’s got to be more than a track star, and they have to use his speed in different ways. That’s the goal, and the staff are doing everything they can right now to achieve it.
“Arian's been a great case study in that because he's touched the ball vertically. He's touched the ball sideways. He's become a more complete receiver and route runner. I thought he made some plays out on the – besides the rocket sweep things and the edge runs – he made some plays catching the ball outside. And that's big for him. That's growth for him. We need more guys to step up and be able to do that. And we've got to be innovative in ways to get touches that make us hard to defend.”
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If Arian Smith can get open on his own, stop on a dime, and leave defensive backs in the dust, it’s over. It’s a wrap. Smith should be in for a massive season if he can take his game to that level. A true route-running level. He’s clearly a weapon that needs to be used in a lot of different ways.
Smith has grown more and more over the years, but this is just as much of a test for him too. According to Smart, Smith is working hard to take advantage of his final college season in hopes of winning another national championship and having a chance to have a successful career at the next level.
"Oh, Arian works”, Smart added. “There's no harder worker on our team than Arian Smith. I mean, he's a product of a really tough physical program. He'll tell you today, he stands in front of the team and he is just a completely different person. He had never had to practice and strain like he does here. He has made decisions that he wants to be really good, so he works really hard at it. I mean, there's not a play that I can find where Arian doesn't run hard to the ball or try to block somebody and do something extra and it's that way on special teams. He made a huge special team play in the game and continues to improve by doing those things."
It’s clear the Georgia staff wants to get him the ball. They loved his game-changing speed out of high school, and they feel it’s their job to turn him into the receiver they thought they could. That hasn’t happened just yet, but the 2024 season could be different.
Through one game, Arian Smith is the team’s leading receiver, and that says a lot about his growth and his potential for a giant final season.
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