Georgia Football: Roquan Smith finishes 10th in Heisman campaign

Georgia Football had one of its own finish 10th in the Heisman voting this past weekend. To be honest, Roquan Smith probably should have finished higher.

The accolades continue to pour in for UGA junior linebacker Roquan Smith. He has already won the Butkus Award, which is awarded to the nation’s top linebacker. He was honoured by being named to the All American team this past week. Finally, Smith was named the SEC defensive player of the Year by the Associated Press and the coaches. He is without a doubt one of the most versatile and complete defensive players in the nation, and a true Georgia Football great. The Heisman voting was revealed and it showed that the voters agree. While Smith wasn’t invited to the ceremony, he finished 10th in votes.

He got the most votes of any defensive player in the nation, and deservedly so. He even received three number 1 votes.  The Heisman trophy was awarded to the quarterback for Georgia’s opponent in the Rose Bowl, Baker Mayfield. Running back Bryce Love of Stanford and Louisville quarterback (and last year’s Heisman winner) Lamar Jackson were the other two players invited along with Mayfield to the ceremony in New York last night.

For the majority of 2017, Roquan has been an unstoppable force. While his game log may have not always shown a ton of sacks, people with knowledge of the game can see his value and talent.  Wherever the ball is, he seems to be. He is a tackling machine and after the SEC championship has an impressive total of 113 on the year. The stats in the Tweet below are a perfect example of his consistency.

It’s probably going to be farewell shortly:

With every one of these awards,  Smith continues to grab the attention of NFL scouts.  It would be a shock to this writer to see him turn down the amazing opportunity that is about to be placed in front of him. This dude has 1st rounder written all over him. Returning for his senior season, unfortunately for us, Dawg fans, would do nothing to help boost his stock. He’s peaked on draft boards. So that means we must really enjoy and appreciate his performance on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. It could be one of the last times we get to see this all-time great wear the red and black.

Keep in mind, Dawg fans, that he almost didn’t come to UGA. He actually committed to UCLA on signing day in 2015. Fortunately, The Dawgs were able to contact him afterwards and tell him that his position coach there was leaving the school. That changed Roquan’s mind and instead, he came to UGA. It’s a decision that ultimately has worked out well for both sides.

Now, in what may be his last season at Georgia, he will still get to play one game in UCLA’s stadium as Georgia faces the Oklahoma Sooners in the “Grandaddy of them all,”  the Rose Bowl. You can bet that Heisman winner Baker Mayfield will know by the end of this game what we all already do. That Roquan Smith is quite possibly the best defensive players in the country.