Kirby Smart fired back at former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith on Tuesday.
Smith had some harsh words for Georgia’s offense, and its quarterback Gunner Stockton, in a recent podcast discussion about how wide receivers such as Zachariah Branch and Dillon Bell were used by the Bulldogs. Smith thought Branch was the recipient of too many screen passes and that Stockton didn’t throw the ball well enough to Bell.
Smart appeared on the Atlanta radio station 680 The Fan where he was asked about Smith’s commentary. Smart let it be known that UGA had the most wide receivers and tight ends drafted of any college over the last seven years and that it had the second-most passing yards in the SEC over the last five years.
These will perhaps be surprising numbers for some who’ve been critical of Georgia’s offense. However, it’s also fair to acknowledge that Smart has also admitted areas where that unit needs to show improvement -- such as generating more explosive plays.
Ultimately, many UGA fans probably enjoy seeing Smart rally to his players’ defense. However, the best defense against criticism will be an improved offense on the field this fall.
It will certainly be interesting to see if Georgia proves capable of providing that.
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Trivia time
Has Georgia football ever played in Yankee Stadium?
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Five players Smart would love to see have a strong G-Day
In reality, Smart would love for everyone on the Georgia team to have a great showing on G-Day.
But with the premium Smart places in competition, there will be some that have good days and some that don’t. Smart steadfastly believes in the value of competition.
“We will have the players that get the most reps and get the most improvement and the most coaching and most development,” Smart said “And that’s what we sell.”
“We have guys that are improving. That’s the only way to get better, is go out there and take your. When you’ve got that, you’ve got the ability to do multiple things in practice and get a bigger body of work.”
Saturday’s G-Day scrimmage will give players the chance to compete in Sanford Stadium in front of a wider audience.
While the scrimmage does bring more attention, it’s still just one of 15 practices this spring for Georgia. The work done in the previous 14 shouldn’t be outweighed by what we see on Saturday.
But G-Day will be the last time we see Georgia in pads until August. And the five players we’ve highlighted in the link below could really use some momentum heading into the summer months. Especially if the Bulldogs are to win a national championship this season.
In an interview with 680 The Fan, Smart was asked about Smith’s recent comments, specifically with regard to how Georgia prepares its receivers for the next level. Smith’s sharpest comments were aimed at Gunner Stockton, who is set to return as Georgia’s quarterback.
“I don’t know the young man’s name and I don’t want to,” Smith said of Stockton. “Awful. Dog doo-doo.”
Smart had a pretty strong rebuke for the former Carolina Panthers player and current NFL Network analyst.
“Do your homework. You know, like, do a little more homework,” Smart said. “I think if you look at small sections of it, there’s things he can do better. You look at the total body of work he has, it’s been really good and I think it’s only gonna get better with experience.
“You know, I don’t really know Steve Smith personally. I’ve got nothing to respond to him. I don’t really worry about what he says. I worry about, do we win football games and do we produce?”
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) makes an 18 yard touchdown pass catch against the Ole Miss Rebels during the fourth quarter of the NCAA College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Sugar Bowl in the Caesars Superdome, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (Hyosub/AJC)
Quote of the day
Smart on criticisms of Georgia’s offense:
“When you look at passing in the SEC over five years — and I think you can only look across your conference — we’re top-two passing over five years in our conference. I mean, there’s multiple quarterbacks in that. That’s a Stetson (Bennett), Carson (Beck), Gunner era, but when you’re top-two in something in the SEC, that’s pretty good."
Georgia has impressed Terrence Edwards WR protege
There was a commercial way back in the day that Don Draper would’ve been proud of.
It established pop culture around the EF Hutton investment firm. The slogan was “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.”
Edwards coaches Rawlins at Mount Vernon. The 3-star has already scheduled his Georgia football official visit.
Rawlins, who’s been timed at 10.65 seconds in the 100, caught 67 passes for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2025. That’s 20.8 yards per catch.
“He’s just fast,” Mount Vernon defensive tackle Will Schuh said. “Fast fast. Fast all day long fast fast. I mean, like the fastest human being I’ve ever seen on a football field, fast.”
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound rising senior receiver is one of a few former St. Francis players who have transferred to Mount Vernon.
“I knew he was special before he got here,” Edwards said of Rawlins.
When Rawlins visited Mount Vernon with his family, Edwards won him over.
“We have a few players from his previous school and when I watched those guys on film, I kept saying, ‘Who is this number 11?’ because he was fast. He was quick. He was agile. I wished I could get him. It just so happened that things worked out in our favor. I think the three previous players also put in a good word about our program and what we’re building. I didn’t know him until he got here.”
Rawlins was all but set on attending another private school program in Metro Atlanta. But his mother asked him about seeing Mount Vernon. Meeting Edwards changed his entire perspective.
