Noah Thomas was one of the biggest offseason acquisitions for Georgia football this offseason. His arrival may have been somewhat overshadowed by fellow transfer Zachariah Branch, but Thomas was a top 10 wide receiver in the Transfer Portal, so his addition to the program was massive.
Unfortunately his time at UGA hasn't gone as anyone expected because he is yet to truly make his mark in Athens.
Kirby Smart was asked about Thomas during his Tuesday press conference, and he explained why he has had a slow start to the season.
"He's made plays for us in practice. He's done great," Smart shared via 247sports.com. "It's really been unfortunate because there's been some times that his shot or his number was called, and we didn't necessarily protect it well or something happened or something came in the way. But he has not been phased by it — at least he's not shown it to us. He works hard, he buys into the team morale and concept."
Kirby Smart explains Noah Thomas's absence
Smart explained in the above quote that Thomas's absence isn't due to him being a bad player, it has more to do with bad luck. They have called his number more than a few times in each game, but every time there apparently is something that goes wrong with the play. Maybe the offensive line didn't block well, or maybe Gunner Stockton didn't feel comfortable throwing him the ball on that play, but according to Smart there always seems to be a reason why plays for Thomas don't work out.
Thankfully this hasn't bothered Thomas as Smart shared that he is continuing to work hard and is not let his slow start get to him.
So far this year Thomas has only caught three passes for 24 yards. Those three catches all came in Georgia's week two win against Austin Peay, so he unfortunately has been shut out in two of the Bulldogs three games this season.
But don't be surprised to see Thomas have a big game for Georgia soon. He is coming off a year in 2024 where he scored eight touchdowns for Texas A&M, so the potential is there. So it's likely is just a matter of time until he shows Georgia fans what he can really do.