One of the top defenders in recent Georgia football history is linebacker Nolan Smith. Not only did he have an extremely successful career at Georgia, but he has already made a huge name for himself in the NFL as well.
Smith’s college and NFL career has been so successful that his hometown did the unthinkable and just named a bridge after him on Wednesday.
@SmithNoland2 To have your city/state name a bridge after you is legendary. Well deserved recognition! I love you but the job is not finished. Keep going!!
— Harold Nelson (@CoachNelsonESA) July 16, 2025
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Nolan Smith’s hometown names a bridge after him
It’s not very often when driving through a small town that you see a road or area of the town named after someone. A person has to do something extremely impressive in order for a town to honor them in that way, but that is something Smith has earned throughout his football career.
Smith arrived in Athens with as much hype as someone can ever have as he was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He quickly lived up to that hype as he recorded 18 total tackles and 2.5 sacks during his true freshman season.
Fast forward to the 2021 season where Smith was one of the top players on Georgia’s National Championship team. Smith tallied an impressive 56 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles during the best season of his college career.
Smith did return for the 2022 season, but injuries plagued what could have been another wildly impressive year. But even after his senior season where he only played in about half of Georgia’s games, the Philadelphia Eagles still selected him in the 2023 NFL Draft with the 30th overall pick.
After a slow rookie season, Smith exploded last year with 42 tackles which included 6.5 sacks. And most importantly, he helped lead the Eagles to their 2025 Super Bowl win.
Smith undoubtedly deserved to be honored by his hometown, and there really is no cooler way to do that than by naming a bridge after him.