Kirby Smart made a lot of big acquisitions out of the Transfer Portal this offseason. The biggest addition however potentially came from their in-state rival as former Georgia Tech wide receiver Isiah Canion made the move to Athens.
Canion previously said he wanted to play for Georgia out of high school, but Smart never came calling. Smart has said he regrets that decision, but he is very thankful he has ended up at Georgia even after a few years.
His arrival is crucial for Georgia’s young wide receiver room as he brings experience that everyone will be able to learn from. And so far this spring he has already been using that experience to better the players around him.
"I mean, he's come in and he has put in so much time," wide receiver London Humphreys said via 247sports.com. "Just shows up every day and works really hard, and he's a smart kid, too. So he's done great, and I've tried to give him any nugget I can doing something similar transferring like you said. But he handles his own very well and has shown everyone why he's a good wide receiver for us."
"He's a good football player. He's an even better person," Kirby Smart said. "He played with several guys on our team. There's a relationship there. We know him, so we're excited about him."
Isiah Canion’s impact has already been felt at Georgia
Canion is coming off a season where he recorded 33 receptions for 480 yards and four touchdowns. This production came on a very good Georgia Tech team, so those numbers should really excite Georgia fans.
He now has the chance to have an even better season this year because he arguably has the most experience in the entire wide receiver room. Sure that experience came elsewhere, but his game should fit right in with the offense that Mike Bobo runs with Gunner Stockton.
His importance goes far beyond what he brings individually though. He can use his experience to make the rest of the team around him better, and so far he has done exactly that in his short stint in Athens.