Complacency isn't an issue for Smart, Bulldogs
Complacency isn't an issue for Smart, Bulldogs
Georgia enters its 2022 season with the mindset of being the hunter and not the hunted.
ATHENS – Georgia football started its fall camp on Thursday.
The Bulldogs have been competing against each other during drills in the heat over the last several days. They have also been preparing for the start of the upcoming 2022 season.
A topic of interest surrounding Georgia is whether or not it can repeat its success from last year and win another title. The Bulldogs had a program record of 15 former players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. However, they return a talented roster full of veterans.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows that his players on this year’s squad are “hungry.”
“People ask the question, how does it feel to be hunted?” Smart said during his interview at SEC Media Days. “Well, we will not be hunted at the University of Georgia. I can promise you that. The hunting we do will be from us going in the other direction.”
The reigning national champion Bulldogs began their title defense last Thursday; nevertheless, that’s not how Smart wants his players to think entering fall camp and the season.
“Our guys have asked questions, and we've done a lot of studies on how the mighty have fallen,” Smart said on July 20. “We have skull sessions, 15-minute meetings, 20-minute meetings and breakout groups. We talk about how the mighty have fallen. I'm talking about in business, sports and history. You learn from the mistakes of others. For us, it really steers down to one cultural belief: That we have a connection that's greater than our opponent. We're all going to be tough, we're all going to be physical in the SEC, but can we be better connected together? Can we have one plus one equals three? For us - one plus one equals three - means that we get more together than we do apart. This team believes that.”
Smart talked a lot about complacency during his first press conference of fall camp.
“I don't worry about it because we don't have a reason to be complacent,” Smart said about the topic on Aug. 4. “I mean, I've been on national championship teams that won it all that I was concerned about complacency because there was a lot of back. We don't really have that problem. So it's not a problem inherent to us in terms of complacency.”
Bulldogs’ rising senior safety Chris Smith agrees with Smart’s sentiment.
“I knew the work that it took for us last year,” Smith said. “We are going to have to put the same amount of work in this year to get back to where we want to be. It’s not going to be handed to us. Coach Smart really does a great job of preaching not staying complacent, not being complacent. The thing with our team is we either get better or worse. We want to choose better, so we can be better every day. That is only going to come with hard work."
Smith played a huge role in Georgia’s defensive success last season. Regardless, he is also one of only a few returning starters from 2021 alongside rising senior edge rusher Nolan Smith.
He was one of three representatives for the Bulldogs at SEC Media Days on July 20 besides quarterback Stetson Bennett and offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.
Smith, who is a Savannah native, talked about how to stay focused after winning a title.
“Humility,” he said at SEC Media Days. “That is one of the big things that we took last year to move a step forward. Connect with your brother and be humble. Don’t have an ego. That’s another thing here, the past is your ego. We can’t control last year. We can’t do anything about last year. We can only look forward. Be where our feet are at and that’s now.”
Smith also discussed how he’s getting the younger generation of Georgia players to “buy-in.”
“The buy-in is key,” Smith said. “Once you have a bunch of guys that buy-in and start pulling the rope in the same direction – as we say metaphorically – you get a lot of guys that want to pull that rope in that same direction. You get guys telling people, ‘Hey man, that’s not right. This is the way to do things. This is the way we do things at Georgia.’”
Smart hopes veterans such as Chris Smith and Nolan Smith continue to keep growing as players. He also anticipates players like them can set an example for the returning Bulldogs who haven’t made much of an impact, despite seeing the field on some occasions in 2021.
“I know the guys who haven’t played are hungry,” Smart said on Aug. 4. “We have to keep the guys who have hunger. It has nothing to do with complacency. Whether we win or lose every game this year - it’s not going to be because of complacency. It’s going to be because of the outcomes and what we did on the grass to make that possible.”
Rising junior Zion Logue is a prime example of a player who has waited his turn. He was a role player for the Bulldogs last season. Logue split time with future NFL first-round draft picks Travon Walker, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt during his first two years at UGA.
Still, he said he learned a lot from those players, but now it’s his turn to make an impact.
“Sitting behind those guys and just watching them work throughout the weeks, and throughout the years they were here - I took bits and pieces from them and put it into my own,” Logue said on Aug. 4. “I’m kind of ready to see what I have to offer to the university."
Van Pran is another example of a player who hasn’t shown signs of complacency. He played as a reserve offensive lineman in 2020 but started all 15 games at center last season.
Van Pran views this year as a “fresh start.” He said at SEC Media Days that the Bulldogs are not going to buy into the narrative of getting complacent entering the 2022 season.
“I think you have to be competitive. That’s definitely something that we preach to our team,” Van Pran said. “Just making sure they you’re competing every day, competing with each other, and making each other better. I think the more competitive you are and focus on every rep, every game, every week. You have no choice but to put it behind you and get better.”
He also preached about the team’s connection with one another.
“I like how connected this team is,” Van Pran said. “If I’m being honest, connection was definitely something that we preached last year, but I think this year, guys spend time outside of football together: fellowship, guys going to church together, cookouts together and those types of things. I think those are the things that are the minute details that help you win in the long run.”