The Georgia Bulldogs have now had four padded practices during fall camp, and already, Smart has seen some talented players and leaders not play and practice up to their potential.

Smart met with the media following Tuesday’s practice, and he explained one of his biggest concerns.

“The biggest concern I’ve got is if the best players play the best,” Smart said. “That probably hasn’t happened so far in camp. We have some guys I consider to be really good players that aren’t playing up to their potential.”

Smart went on to say it could be one of the scariest things that could happen to the Bulldogs.

“As I look out there, there’s a couple guys that you would say, ‘OK, this is a guy that played really well last year, and he’s not playing to the level I think he can play to.’ And I think probably one of the scariest things that could happen to our team. But the good news is at a lot of those positions, there’s a guy who’s just as talented as him that’s scratching and clawing — or maybe just got here, and is fighting for playing time. That excites me.”

Smart is sending a clear message to his best players — there’s somebody right behind you wanting your playing time. Competition is beautiful in college football, and Smart certainly has a lot of it. But he would rather have his veteran leaders — and best players — play to their capability entering 2018.