On Wednesday, we played Kirby Smart’s clip reacting to the response to his viral video from earlier in the week in which Georgia tight end Elyiss Williams apparently got the best of defensive end Amaris Williams in a practice rep.
Smart downplayed the moment — as is frequently his style. However, one of his former players had a slightly different take.
Davin Bellamy, who played a similar position to Williams while at UGA, acknowledged that often small snapshots of practice moments can be misleading, but he also made it clear that a defensive end isn’t supposed to be blocked by a tight end. This is the kind of evaluation of the situation that can only come from another former defensive end.
Ultimately, the intense breakdown of a practice rep that very few people actually saw is mostly just for fun, but Bellamy’s words carry a lot of weight.
Williams could truly end up being a valuable add from the transfer portal as the 2026 season plays out, but he is no different from many other players who’ve come through UGA. Almost everyone eventually has their “Welcome to Georgia moment.” And it just so happens that Williams’ was captured on video.
However, don’t be surprised if lessons learned from these early days with the Bulldogs become a foundation for success for guys like Williams this fall.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many SEC championships has Smart won as head coach?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Georgia loves what it’s seeing from Elyiss Williams
As it turns out, Georgia tight end Williams isn’t yet destroying opposing defenders.
When Smart was asked about the play, it turns out Elyiss Williams had a little bit of an advantage.
“That play in particular, he actually slipped and stepped on somebody’s foot,” Smart said. “So it’s probably not a fair assessment of him, because when you step on somebody else’s foot and slip, sometimes you get your a-- whipped, and then sometimes you just slip.
“And you’re not allowed to slip, but it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, certainly.”
Because of Williams’ immense physical gifts, he doesn’t need any extra help. At 6-foot-7, he’s the biggest tight end in Todd Hartley’s room. While he doesn’t quite reach the size of former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, it’s hard not to be interested in the potential of Williams.
As he enters his second season in Athens, the talented tight end is looking to move from potential breakout to proven player.
“He attacks stuff the right way,” defensive lineman Elijah Griffin said of Williams. “If he continues to do that, he’s going to be very successful.”
Running back room highlights challenges of modern CFB
Nate Frazier seemed shocked by a true statement he gave during a recent interview.
“It’s crazy how fast time flies. But I think in the running back room, me, Chauncey (Bowens), and Dwight (Phillips Jr.) have been here the longest at this university,” Frazier. “Gosh. Yeah, we’ve been here the longest. So more so, man, we’re just trying to get better as a room. We’re not trying to be selfish because, you know, as you said, it’s Year 3.”
Georgia signed all three running backs as members of the 2024 recruiting class. A decade ago, it was common for signing classes to stick together. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel stayed together for all four seasons in Athens, creating one of the great running back tandems in recent memory.
But if Georgia’s second and third all-time leading rushers played under the same rules of Frazier and Bowens, it’s no guarantee they would’ve remained at Georgia.
Frazier and Bowens themselves noted the temptations they faced this offseason to potentially go elsewhere. The combination of NIL and the transfer portal loomed large for both players.
With Frazier, he saw all the rumors of him entering the transfer portal back in early January. The onslaught of messages and curiosity became too much for the talented running back.
“I really just turned off my phone and said, you know, that’s what social media is. It’s just rumors,” Frazier said. “So I just turned off the phone and just got back to work.”
Nate Frazier takes part in the second day of spring practice on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Athens. (DawgNation)
Quote of the day
Bowens on staying at Georgia:
“I knew I was going to be here for sure. I love being at Georgia, and I love my teammates. I love my offensive line, my coaches and everything. So, I mean, for sure, I mean, that’s a new game of NIL. You know, school’s going to come calling. But at the end of the day, I knew I wanted to be here, and I knew I was going to end up here.”
Georgia makes it clear what it needs from Elijah Griffin
Georgia defensive tackle Elijah Griffin and Sabrina Carpenter could not be more different. The latter is an internationally known pop star who regularly makes note of her lack of height.
The former is a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman. He’s already the strongest player on Georgia’s team and he’s only entering his second year in the program. He’s an ascending star in the sport, yet not the college football equivalent of Carpenter.
But because of the phrase manchild, the two share a connection. For Carpenter, it was a hit song off her most recent album that earned her four Grammy nominations.
For Griffin, it’s a moniker. Georgia hopes the defensive tackle can achieve similar levels of success to that of Carpenter in his second season in Athens.
