The Georgia fan base has done a tremendous job of showing up and supporting Kirby Smart’s program since he returned to Athens. Now the UGA coach is challenging his tremendous fan base to keep up the intensity.

Whether it was his first spring game (known as 93k Day) as head coach in Athens, when so many Georgia supporters showed up even the concourses of Sanford Stadium were filled with Bulldog fans, or the home atmospheres created last season at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, the Rose Bowl and in the National Championship Game, Smart seems the importance of continuing that support.

Citing the new hires in the SEC, likely with an eye toward Knoxville and Gainesville, Smart, without even being asked about it, mentioned the need for Georgia fans to show up and support the Dawgs for the upcoming G-Day during his National Signing Day press conference.

“I do want to finish up with one note. I want to call out the Dawg Nation and call out all the fans because you really think about the tremendous job and give them a thanks, as we went across the country and played literally across the country, and we went to Notre Dame and played, played at Vanderbilt, played a lot of games where our fan base turned out and did a tremendous job of supporting, I think that really helped us with recruiting,” Smart said.

“But now G-Day is on Saturday, April 21st. As we all know, every team that gets a new head coach in the SEC, what is the mantra, what is the battle cry for their fan base to turn out and really represent their teams. We need our fan base, who has done everything we’ve asked them to do, to turn out April 21st at 4:00 and be out there for G-Day in what we expect to be another sellout, packed opportunity to go out and represent University of Georgia and show these kids in recruiting that it does matter and it is special here.”

Georgia will obviously use the spring game as an ideal weekend to unofficially host recruits, and possibly even officially host prospects with new recruiting rules allowing programs to do so in the spring. With Alabama, Tennessee and LSU all having their spring games on the same day, elite prospects considering all those schools will have to make a decision on which game to attend.

If they decide to head to Athens, Smart wants to make sure they experience an environment unmatched in the league. Smart can’t do it alone though and fan support will play a huge role in which school has the best spring game atmosphere in 2018.