It's not like Georgia was short on talent this season, what with the likes of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Trenton Thompson on the roster. But, Smith wowed just about everyone who saw the Dawgs play, which is why he became the first Bulldog to win the Butkus Award, given to the nation's best collegiate linebacker, garnering 60 percent of the first-place votes and 40 percent of the overall weighted vote, which is a greater margin than any linebacker in the past decade.
Smith also was named first team All-America by Walter Camp, SI.com, Bleacher Report, College Football Madness and The All-American. He was voted the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the AP and the coaches, and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award and Bednarik Award (both of which signify the nation's top defensive player). He just finished 10th in the voting for the Heisman Trophy (the only defensive contender ranking that high).
At times this year, there has seemed to be more than one Roquan Smith on the field, as he's ranged from sideline to sideline, racking up 113 stops (8.7 tackles per game) so far. He also has had 10.5 tackles for loss, a team-leading 5.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, 2 fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. In the SEC Championship Game win over Auburn, he wreaked havoc on the Tige rs as he notched 13 tackles, 10 of them solo; 1 sack; and 2 fumble recoveries, and was named the game MVP.
Barrett Sallee of CBSsports.com thought Smith should have finished even higher in the Heisman voting for the nation's best football player, placing the UGA junior third on his ballot. Said Sallee: " From a value perspective, Smith is every bit to Georgia what [Heisman winner Baker] Mayfield is to Oklahoma."
Still, when AJC columnist Mark Bradley wrote this week that Smith is " the best Georgia player I've seen since Herschel," it got Bulldog Nation talking.
But, I'm not sure he would rank No. 2 on my list behind the legendary No. 34. I think that spot might still belong to Champ Bailey, an iron-man two-way All America player who was in for more than 1,000 plays on defense, offense and special teams in the 1998 season, including more than 100 in seven different games, and won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's best defender.
Overall, Mike would rank Bailey No. 2 and probably Ward No. 3 "because both were so versatile." However, he said, "Roquan has to be the best linebacker ever, and UGA has had some good ones. But, not one who covers so much of the field and hits like him, too."
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