Georgia Football Awards for the 2017 team

2017 Georgia Bulldogs MVP

Roquan Smith: Junior Inside Linebacker

Was there really any doubt? I apologize for making you wait for this long to see Roquan’s name, but when a guy is this good, he deserves a bit of a build up. As great as the rest of the players on this list were, none was better than Roquan Smith. In fact, he was clearly one of the best players in the nation.

Georgia had one of the best defenses in the country, in part because Smith was a machine. His sideline to sideline speed meant that he was able to make plays in pretty much every phase of the game. Whether he was shutting down the inside running game, rushing sideline to sideline and stopping screens or covering and breaking up passes.

That doesn’t even include his ability to rush the passer, which was seriously underrated. In short, Smith did pretty much everything you could imagine an inside linebacker can do this season. His versatility and ability to do it all helped make up for any other weaknesses that UGA might have had.

There isn’t much to say about Smith that hasn’t already been written by countless writers. He might well have been the best defensive player that I’ve ever seen in my life don the red and black. Smith was more than just a great player though. He was a leader who set an example much like the seniors like Chubb, Michel, and Carter.

Next: Isaiah Wynn lighting up the Senior Bowl

His decision to leave school early and head to the NFL makes sense when you consider just how special he is. A high first-round pick awaits him and we’ll all get to see him do his thing with the best players in the world. I for one cannot wait.