Kirby Smart’s first spring game will be tough to top. Not just for Georgia, but by any college football fan base in the nation.

Back in the spring of 2016, over 93,000 Bulldog fans showed up to display their support for the beginning of the Smart era in Athens and set a new standard of fan excellence for a spring game. While the crowd number is not the official attendance number for a spring contest nationwide, Sanford Stadium only holds just over 92,000, the sight of so many UGA fans stuffed into the concourses of the stadium is a memory that’s tough to forget.

During their recent media availability, two current Bulldog players discussed attending that game and how it affected them before arriving in Athens.

Andrew Thomas, the team’s projected starting left tackle, said the atmosphere created by Georgia fans even helped him make his final decision to select the Bulldogs.

“It was crazy experience,” Thomas said. “I had never been to a Georgia game before so it was my first experience in Sanford Stadium. So many people were there, and then I heard they even had to deny some people coming in because there were so many. It was a crazy atmosphere, and it did help sway my decision early on. That’s what started getting me to like the place more.”

While David Marshall had already signed to play for the Bulldogs at the time of the 2016 spring game, the event gave him chills envisioning what was to come in the fall in Athens.

“Mostly, I remember it felt like a real game,” Marshall said. “Seeing all the fans in the stands, it gave me chills. It proves that everybody at Georgia is like a family and our fans support us so much. I’m really excited to be able to get out there Saturday and play this time.”

Coming off an SEC Championship and National Championship appearance, it will be interesting to see how many Bulldog fans show up for this year’s version of G-Day on Saturday.