Georgia football: Don’t sleep on Nolan Smith II

Georgia football signed a lot of great prospects this week but Nolan Smith II was the top-ranked player in his class for a reason. He’s going to be really, really good.

Signing day is so often a crazy collection of insanity. Look no further than Nakobe Dean and the whirlwind of stories that emerged about where he would sign in the hours leading up to his eventual commitment to Georgia. In the midst of all of this, Georgia football quietly started their signing day inking the best player in the 2019 class. Nolan Smith II has been committed to UGA for the better part of 2 years. Back then, he was still a skinny kid from Savannah who a lot of schools hasn’t even offered.

How things have changed. Smith spent his final two seasons of high school at IMG Acadamy down in Florida and turned himself into the top player in the nation. One of the most explosive athletes to come to Athens since Kirby Smart arrived in 2016, Smith can beat offensive tackles with a wide range of moves. He’s also more powerful than his 232lb frame suggests and profiles as an outside linebacker who could genuinely make UGA’s defense even better than we have seen the past few years.

But Smith isn’t just a special player. He’s a leader, much like Richard LeCounte, Jake Fromm and yes, Justin Fields. Smith was the UGA recruit that worked hard on other players. He is close to Trezman Marshall and kept his focus on Georgia while Tennessee was trying to turn his head. He’s an Alpha personality that guys want to be around. More importantly, while he’s developed a huge profile over the past few years, he carries himself like the skinny kid that everyone doubted when he was 15. This isn’t a prima donna who believes he should just be handed playing time. He’s going to work his tail off to get better and will demand the same from others.

Smith was the first player to sign this class. The number one player in the country sent his paperwork to UGA at 7 am, before a lot of fans had even woken up. He did that despite the fact that his friend Justin Fields was likely leaving and despite the fact that Alabama has been trying to flip him for a year. That action cannot and should not be underestimated.

As someone who has been in the fold for 2 years, Smith was kind of ignored this week. Everyone knew he was going to Georgia and he did just that so a lot of people ignored him and moved on. But players like this are rare and to see him playing between the hedges is going to be a genuine pleasure for Dawg fans. He might not have garnered many headlines on Wednesday, but it’s a safe bet that he will do at some point during his time in Athens and it might be sooner than you think.