Georgia football: Arian Smith easily proves he is a top receiver

Georgia football has a receiver room that is fully loaded with talented players, including Arian Smith, who is the speedy sure-handed weapon the Dawgs need.

Despite fighting his way back from injuries throughout his entire career in Athens, Smith is so talented that he still excites us heading into 2022.

If he can stay healthy, Smith can be one of the Dawgs’ top targets and top production receivers. The way he approaches the game, his moxy, and fire is what Georgia needs because with George Pickens gone, they didn’t have that on the roster.

Georgia football can depend on Arian Smith to be one of its top receivers in 2022.

He had to wear a no-contact black jersey for G-Day, but that didn’t stop him from aggressively fighting for balls and getting mad when he didn’t make the catch.

Smith may have had a leg injury, but you couldn’t tell at G-Day because he didn’t lose much speed at all. He is still the speedy, twitchy receiver that Dawg fans all fell in love with when he first got to Athens.

Last year, Smith recorded three catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. It’s important to note here that Smith only played in four games before getting hurt, so for his playing time, those numbers are impressive.

He averaged 34 yards a catch and scored 66.7% of the time. We know he had three catches, but two were for scores, so we’re keeping that percentage.

Smith saw a 35-yard touchdown against Missouri, but the one that got us all excited came against UAB when he caught a 61-yarder to score.

The redshirt sophomore has just eight games of experience throughout his two seasons in Athens. He recorded five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns. So while injuries shortened his two years significantly, when Smith was able to play, he was effective.

That production is huge for 2022 because hopefully, him not running on the track team and just focusing on football will allow him to stay healthy — increase those stats too.

He is a versatile player that will elevate the Dawgs’ offense. Watching Smith, he can be a long-ball threat and someone who can scoot across the short-to-mid range area and be effective.

His speed is impressive enough that he can outrun his defender regardless of where he lines up on the field.

Smith is overdue for an entire season of healthy football, and 2022 needs to be that year for him. As he heads into his third year with the team, Smith knows how things work and needs to be one of the leaders in that room.

Of course, with him battling so many injuries, it has allowed other receivers to get reps in his place, but Georgia will use a lot of wideouts because it helps keep opponents on their toes.

Last year, on average, Georgia used nine wideouts in 2021, so Smith and the rest of this group will have plenty of opportunities to make plays. However, he could emerge as one of the top guys in 2022.

Health is the key with Smith, but if he manages to stay on the field, Georgia has a versatile guy who can make plays and isn’t afraid to make it happen. He could be on track for a big year, and with Smith as a weapon, Georgia’s offense can be even more prolific than in 2021.