Nolan Smith praises former Georgia defender Trezmen Marshall for transferring to Alabama 'the right way'
Nolan Smith is a talented edge rusher out of Georgia and has a chance to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He stuck with the Bulldogs for his whole college career, even when he wasn’t getting much playing time early on.
On Wednesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Smith said he feels like sticking with a team through adversity is a good life lesson (via AL.com):
“Kids need to hear this: stick it out,” he said. “Just because things get tough, don’t run away from things. Like, in life, when things get tough, you gonna quit on your wife? You gonna quit on your kids? You gonna transfer on your wife and kids when things get tough? What if you’re married to your wife for 10 years and she get cancer, you just gonna get up and leave?
“That’s how I feel about it, man. You can be a man of character, no matter what you do. That’s how my mom raised me.”
However, when it comes to Trezmen Marshall, a Georgia linebacker who transferred to Alabama this offseason, Smith struck a different tone:
“I know certain times, guys have been in the program for a long time,” Smith said of Marshall. “He’s been in there for four years. He got his degree. He only has one more year. I feel like he did it the right way.”
Marshall had 19 tackles (4.5 for a loss) and 1 sack in 2022. We’ll see if he can increase those numbers in Tuscaloosa in 2023.
I have to disagree with Nolan. Players shouldn’t be shamed for transferring. It’s not running away. Maybe it’s family related, maybe it’s NIL related, maybe the song-and-dance the program put on during recruiting doesn’t truly reflect the program, maybe coach(es) leave, maybe the player gets injured and that changes how they compete, etc.
Completely agree, you worship. Could you imagine if jobs forced people to stay at least 3 or 4 years? These kids have a right to leave if they want – this isn’t China.
Welcome to free agency in the new professional NCAA league.
Having the right to leave doesn’t mean they should always exercise that right. Often the grass isn’t greener and chasing playing time is a very uncertain gamble. Of course there’s nothing wrong with transferring, but those who do it quickly because they aren’t starting immediately is probably more what Nolan is talking about.
^^ This ^^
As a fan, I almost always want our guys to stay, but we shouldn’t blame them when they don’t. We also rarely know what prompted them to look at transferring. It’s not always just playing time. I just pull for whoever suits up in purple and gold.
LSUSMC……..Are you going to deny that college football was way better before the portal and NIL? Back when anyone was still free to transfer as long as they sat one season!!! People like Georgia and Alabama still out work everyone in the country in recruiting. Time, money and energy!!!! Yet after developing a guy into a star player. Someone else can now legally tamper and steal their players!!!!!!!
PS. Personally I just don’t think it’s right!!!! One difference in Georgia and the Alabama back to back. Alabama did it with an intact roster and no portal. All Alabama delt with was THE NFL DRAFT. They didn’t lose tons of talent to the portal and they didn’t deal with a playoff
Negan
YOUWORSHIP…. Hear me out here… You all might feel differently if your team spent time recruiting and developing these players in big numbers. Only to see others reap the best rewards!!! Georgia gives NOBODY any song and dance! They are told they must compete and that Kirby will recruit the very best!!!!!
THESE PLAYERS GOT SCHOLARSHIPS THAT COULD HAVE WENT TO PLAYERS WHO WOULD STAY!!!!! GEORGIA TURNED 3 STARS INTO BIG STARS ONLY TO SEE THEM LEAVE BECAUSE OF NIL!!!! ADONIS MITCHELL I’M LOOKING AT YOU BUDDY. THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR GEORGIA BUT GEORGIA DID MORE FOR YOU!!!!!
T Marshall having only one more season and some younger guys having already passed him by. I understand his situation and I’m not mad!!! Still no excuse why after 2 national championships. That former 3 star receiver Adonis Mitchell needed to go to Texas. Georgia would have got him paid well and it was only one more season and he’s NFL bound AT GEORGIA! I’m not sure what he will do at Texas. Because it’s not the same culture or work ethic. And absolutely not the same talent level!!!! It wouldn’t surprise me if he remained a star because Georgia developed him. Still he could go flop as well!!!!! Why? Because they won’t have 2 NFL TE’s and NFL running backs on the field at the same time. Helping take the coverage and pressure off of him!!!!!! Good luck is all I can say. Burton was doing pretty decent at Georgia. He thought he was the next Jamison Williams at Alabama. As it turns out he wasn’t even the next Metchie!!! Not yet anyway!!!!
I HONESTLY BELIEVE THE AVERAGE ALABAMA FAN WISHES THEY WOULD HAVE LEFT BURTON AT GEORGIA, AND KEPT A HALL, BILLINGSLY AND ALL THE OTHER RECEIVING THREATS THAT LEFT ALABAMA. AFTER HE CAME OVER!!!!!! WITHOUT BRYCE YOUNG, WILL HE BE BETTER OR WORSE????
I think it depends on who the QB turns out to be and the kind of offense they run. Honestly I don’t believe Saban wants to be wide open in the passing game. I think he is thinking Kirby was right. Defense and complimentary football still RULES!!!! I know this much. If Burton knew Georgia was going to repeat and he wasn’t going to be any better at Alabama. I don’t think he transfers and that’s just that!!!!! Personally I think both he and Alabama regrets the whole situation!!!! Now back to the issue of recruiting…..
Think of the time Kirby and staff put into recruiting. The time away from their families!!! It’s YEAR-ROUND at Georgia, not recruiting season as Mullen once said!!!! Not all coaches put the same effort into it. That is why they don’t get the same out of it!!!!! Georgia also spends more money on recruiting than anyone!!! Now some players may be encouraged to move on. In that case I don’t blame them. Still some just take the development and yes now the championship rings that Georgia gets them. And they go sell it on the open market!!! Absolutely next to zero loyalty from many!!!! Georgia actually probably has the most loyalty. Still I don’t care for the portal or the PAY ME CULTURE OF COLLEGE SPORTS!!!! Players were already being paid long ago!!!!
THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS AREN’T FREE TO EVERYONE!!! A FULLY PAID EDUCATION IS HUGE MONEY!!!! To say nothing of THE BEST FOOD/NUTRITION THAT THEY GET WHILE MANY GO HUNGRY!!!! Then they were being prepared for the millionaire money of the NFL to play a kids game!!!!! THIS BULL THAT THESE ATHLETES HAVE BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IS JUST THAT. A LOAD OF BULL!!!!! Most of the better NFL quality athletes are also ensured against injury for millions of dollars as well and were long before NIL!!!!!
NIL IS JUST A WAY FOR LAWYERS AND GREEDY PEOPLE TO GET THEIR CUT. WHILE UNPROVEN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS ARE ASKING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!!!! IT IS DESTROYING THE GAME!!!!!
Nobody is promised anything but the best coaching and development to get them to the league and help them!!!!
All teams who have lazy recruiting just love the transfer rule. Alabama is not lazy!!!! I hate NIL & THE PORTAL. But if it’s going to be there. I surely want Georgia to get as much or more than what we lose!!!!!!
I still say. Fans of struggling teams see it differently than teams who got on top the old fashioned way. Through years of struggling, hard work and recruiting!!!! The down programs just see it as an easy way to buy others star players. Just because they happen to have plenty of NIL dollars to toss around!!!!!!
NIL is being used like drug money to make certain people rich at the cost of KILLING THE SPORT!!!! We had a war on drugs. Now how about a war to just get NIL UNDER CONTROL AND ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD IF NOTHING ELSE!!!!
The NFL has a salary cap! So don’t tell me NIL shouldn’t have a fair cap that keeps it level!!! A lot of these players also seem to be transferring 3 and 4 times. When the rule is supposed to be 1 free transfer!!!!!
They didn’t all have a degree either!!!!! Many have real issues with grades which is part of their problem!!!!! Anyway, I for one don’t like all this portal and NIL!!!!! But it’s here so use it!!!!!
Anyway the world just keeps on getting better…. Must be all the souls going through the so-called reincarnation as they gradually get better and better according to the teaching!!!! Remember if you don’t come back as a bug or lower life-form. You are supposed to be BETTER!!!!! LESS GREEDY FOR ONE THING!!!!! LOL
Since I was talking about things that are stupid. I figured I would mention that stupid doctrine!!!! Not only does the state of this world prove its a stupid lie! But so do all the people who claim to have been Marylin Monroe or some icon of history!!! What is she about 3 million people now???? LOL
PS. Now I’m sidetracked!!!!!! LOL
Negan