Isaiah McKenzie, Kirby Smart use tough love to motivate Mecole Hardman as a returner
By Adam Spencer
Published:
During his spectacular Georgia career, Isaiah McKenzie made a huge impact on special teams, returning six kicks for touchdowns — five punts and one kickoff.
However, while he spent his rookie year with the Denver Broncos this past fall, he wished he was back in Georgia with all the return room the blockers were providing.
Leading returner Mecole Hardman didn’t return any kicks for touchdowns, but McKenzie made sure to let coach Kirby Smart know he’d have found the end zone a few times in 2017 (via 247Sports):
“Isaiah McKenzie texted me every week and said, ‘Coach if I’d had that much room I’d have seven touchdowns.’ So he was calling Mecole out, not me,” Smart said. “But I do think it’s an open competition.”
Hardman will have to battle to be the Bulldogs’ kick returner this fall, as Smart cited guys like Terry Godwin, Ahkil Crumpton and Kearis Jackson as potential returners, too.
However, Hardman still made a major impact last year, scoring four receiving and two rushing touchdowns, so he’ll focus on improving his game as a receiver first this offseason.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
