UGA's newest stars: Branden Smith, Brandon Boykin

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Athens — Call it the “Branden and Brandon Show.” It debuted at the University of Georgia last week, starting what should be a run of several years.

Branden Smith and Brandon Boykin — two speedy cornerbacks whose talents transcend their primary positions — are one year apart in school, one number apart on their jerseys and one vowel apart in spelling their first names.

And they are even more closely connected in their potential as impact players for Georgia’s football team.

Smith, a freshman from Atlanta who wears No. 1, and Boykin, a sophomore from Fayetteville who wears No. 2, were quite the 1-2 punch for the Bulldogs in last week’s win over South Carolina.

Smith sprinted 61 yards untouched on a reverse for his first college touchdown and returned a kickoff 48 yards, while Boykin had four kickoff returns totaling 187 yards, including a scintillating 100-yarder for a touchdown.

Stars were born.

“Around campus, people [are] asking for autographs and everything,” Smith said Tuesday. “It has been kind of weird.”

Inside the team, their talents were well known before last week.

Smith was a two-way player at Atlanta’s Washington High — “I never got off the field” — and ran the fifth fastest 100-meter dash in Georgia prep history (10.4). He had offers from about 50 colleges before signing with the Bulldogs this year.

“That was one of the big celebrations we had in the recruiting war, the day he said he was coming,” coach Mark Richt said. “I knew we were going to get him involved [right away], not only on defense but on some special teams and some offensive plays. I think his role will only grow as time goes on.”

“Once he gets experience and gets bigger and stronger and learns everything to do,” Boykin said of Smith, “he’ll be a great, great player — kind of like Champ Bailey playing both sides of the ball.”

Smith, currently a No. 2 cornerback, has played just three snaps on offense in each of the first two games because “we don’t have that many plays for him right now,” quarterback Joe Cox said. But each time Smith takes the field on offense, fans — and opponents — take note.

“He can line up anywhere on the field,” Cox said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s just a whole ‘nother element somebody has to worry about.”

Boykin, meanwhile, had a strong spring practice to win the starting cornerback job vacated by Asher Allen’s early departure to the NFL and this summer, he claimed a share of kickoff return duties as well.

“I wish we had about three of him,” Richt said of Boykin. “He can do so much. And he’s a Georgia boy who loves the Dogs and always did and you just love guys like that.

“One other thing I love about him,” Richt added. “After [pregame warm-ups], he comes running toward me and he’ll do this vertical jump up to about my eyes. His feet come up that high. It’s amazing how high he can jump. We’ve got to find a way to use that, too.”

Boykin got his first collegiate interception on Saturday, as well as returning the four kickoffs and scoring on the longest touchdown play by a Bulldog in Sanford Stadium history — the 100-yard return.

“I woke up [Sunday] morning and it was still surreal to me, the whole experience,” Boykin said. “I was looking at it on ESPN360. ... I just kept rewinding it and rewinding it. I was, like, ‘Did that really just happen?’ ”

Smith also has been used on kickoff returns in the first two games. He returned two against South Carolina, fumbling the first unprovoked on the 5-yard line — “a freshman mistake,” he said — before redeeming himself with the 48-yard return on the second.

You’ll be seeing much more of Branden and Brandon, although sometimes it’ll be a blur.

As for which is faster, Boykin concedes to Smith — sort of.

“Straight away, he’s got it,” Boykin said. “Put some moves in and I think I can do my thing.”