Kirby Smart explains how Georgia was able to flip elite WR George Pickens from Auburn

When the 2019 season is all said and done, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see true freshman George Pickens as the Georgia Bulldogs’ leading receiver.

Pickens should have plenty of opportunities to play right away, as Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin, Isaac Nauta and Mecole Hardman are all off to the NFL. Meanwhile, the leading returning receiver, Jeremiah Holloman, was dismissed from the team earlier this year.

Pickens, an Alabama native, had been committed to Auburn for a long time prior to flipping to Georgia. On Tuesday at SEC Media Days, coach Kirby Smart discussed why Pickens made that decision.

Smart said there are opportunities to play right away with all the turnover at the receiver position, an established quarterback in Jake Fromm, and a familiarity between Pickens and the Georgia staff:

Kirby Smart gave some indications about why longtime AU commit George Pickens came to Georgia. He noted that he had made several visits, felt there was an opportunity with other WRs leaving/declaring, and wanted an opportunity to play alongside a proven commodity in Jake Fromm.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) July 16, 2019

Smart on George Pickens signing with Georgia over Auburn: “I think he knew what he wanted… He saw that we had two guys go pro, and that there were a lot of touches available…. I think he’s excited to play with Jake Fromm.” #SportsCallAU #SECMD2019

— Ryan Lavoie (@ryanlavoie0) July 16, 2019

Former Cal standout Demetris Robertson is another guy Georgia will be counting on in the receiving corps, but it’ll be interesting to see what sort of chemistry Pickens and Fromm develop out of the gates.

Per the 247Sports composite, Pickens was the No. 24 overall player in the 2019 recruiting class, the No. 4 overall receiver and the No. 1 player from the state of Alabama.