Kirby Smart issues concerns about Georgia’s secondary following weekend scrimmage
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Georgia has some reloading to do all over its defensive unit this offseason but with the upcoming G-Day Game quickly approaching, Kirby Smart doesn’t seem very pleased with his defensive backfield.
During his most recent media availability, Smart expressed his concerns that the Bulldogs’ backfield isn’t living up to the lofty standard that he has set for the unit. Considering the national championship was lost due to a subtle breakdown on the backend of the UGA defense, it makes sense that Georgia’s coach would have a higher standard for that unit than any others on his defense.
“We’ve got a long way to go in the secondary. We had a unique unit of DBs that played a long time. With them gone, we’re trying to get some guys in here to fill that void,” Smart said. “We’re not where we need to be, we don’t have the depth we need and we’re not playing at the level we need to play at. They’re going against some good quarterbacks and receivers at practice everyday.”
While the unit does have plenty of talent waiting to emerge, such as Richard LeCounte and potentially Deangelo Gibbs, should he return to the program as expected, Smart wants to see that potential turn into production before the end of spring practice in Athens.
“With the defensive front and the secondary, we don’t have the depth we need,” Smart continued. “We’ve got good frontline players, but if a guy goes down, what’s the answer? That’s coaching. We’re looking at personnel and packages.”
With the Bulldogs taking a trip to Columbia for the second weekend of the season, the unit won’t have many reps to get things going before taking live fire from South Carolina’s Jake Bentley. Expect Kirby and his defensive staff to ride their defensive backs hard all offseason just to be fully prepared for what is to come in that crucial early-season SEC debut for both programs.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
