Kirby Smart shares his advice for Georgia freshmen after costly mistakes
ATHENS — Perhaps the two biggest plays that Georgia’s offense would like to have back prominently involved freshmen.
It’s a positive for the Bulldogs that wide receiver Talyn Taylor, right tackle Juan Gaston and right guard Dontrell Glover all were able to work themselves into the game plan against Alabama. It shows they’re adapting to the rigors of the college game and earning the trust of their coaches.
With just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Taylor ran an excellent route to undo the Alabama defense. Gunner Stockton uncorked a deep ball, and Taylor was in his own area code.
Yet the ball hit off Taylor’s hands and fell to the ground. Georgia would punt one play later, and it ended up being Taylor’s final offensive snap of the evening.
Taylor arrived at Georgia as a five-star recruit, the first five-star wide receiver Georgia signed since it landed George Pickens in 2019. He’s found a way to make an impact on special teams at Georgia, an encouraging sign for his long-term career.
For the short term, Georgia is making sure one mistake from Taylor does not beget another.
“I told him that, look, we’re going to come back at you and continue to use you, and just keep getting better,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “That’s all you can do, keep getting better. Block out the outside noise.”
Stockton similarly made sure to comfort Taylor.
“I told him it ain’t the end of the world,” Stockton said Saturday. “I promise you. I messed up today, so it ain’t the end of the world.”
Georgia got the ball back after Taylor dropped the likely 50-yard touchdown and was able to drive into the Alabama red zone. The Bulldogs went hurry up on fourth down and elected to run Cash Jones off the right side of the line.
At that point, Gaston was at right tackle and Glover at right guard. It was a big moment for the pair, playing in their first SEC home game.
Yet they weren’t able to execute the blocks needed, and LT Overton of Alabama took down Jones in the backfield.
“Really, you know, the fourth-and-1 was a deal where they didn’t line up right. They’re completely bust,” Smart said. “We’re going to walk in the end zone with the play call we’ve got, and we just have a guy not block a guy that he’s supposed to block.
“But outside of some of that, they did a lot of good things, and that’s why I’m pleased and promised by, like, OK, went into the game not knowing about the right tackle position.”
Bo Hughley got the start at right tackle with Earnest Greene out because of injury. Gaston would end up playing more snaps Saturday than the redshirt sophomore.
Defensively, freshmen Elijah Griffin and JJ Hanne were able to help limit the Alabama rushing offense. Griffin has shown why he was so highly touted as a prospect, even if this early-season showing reminds everyone that he is still only in his first year in college.
“I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet,” Smart said of Griffin before the Alabama game. “He’s made some plays in (preseason) camp and in practices that he hasn’t made in the game. He’ll get an opportunity to. I was proud of him going on the road (at Tennessee) in that environment to go out there and play. I’m sure he had some nerves. He can be a good football player if he just keeps humble and hungry.”
Because of the transfer portal and lack of high-end depth, Georgia has to rely on a greater percentage of freshmen than it would in previous years.
At this point last season, only KJ Bolden and Nate Frazier had really emerged from Georgia’s 2024 signing class. It wouldn’t be until the calendar turned to October that Chris Cole began to carve out a role in Georgia’s offense.
Saturday stung for Taylor, Gaston, Glover, Griffin and Hanne. It was the first loss of their college careers. It almost certainly won’t be the last.
Adversity can be a good tool to spur growth, even if it is painful in the present.
“I’m glad that they were affected and hurt,” Smart said. “There’s a lot of college football teams right now that got teams that the kids don’t care. Like, when people hurt, you usually get a better response, right? You get a better mechanism of, like, buy-in or, like, doubling down on something, of, like, knowing who I am and knowing what I’ve got to work on.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
