Kirby Smart says Marcellus Young Casario was ‘always smiling, always positive’
After Bulldogs defensive line commit Marcellus Young Casario died Friday, just under two months from when he was set to enroll at Georgia, coach Kirby Smart commented on the tragedy during a postgame news conference.
“One of the toughest calls I’ve ever gotten, right there with, you know, one other call, and it was heartbreaking because I know his mom, know his dad, know his family,” Smart said. “He’s been down here for like every game.”
The 2027 defensive line commit died from what the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a private school in far North Georgia, has called a sudden medical emergency. No further information about manner of death or details of the incident have been released.
“Known affectionately as Mar by his coaches, friends and teammates, he was loved across campus,” the school said in a statement.
Smart echoed much of that sentiment, saying that he was “always smiling, always positive and had a great future in front of him.”
Smart added that the sudden loss of Young Casario helped put things in perspective for the veteran coach.
“It just makes (the game), you know irrelevant compared to what that family’s going through,” Smart said. “So I have a lot of respect for him and his family and we’re praying for him.”
Young Casario is originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. He arrived at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School as a junior in 2025.
He committed to play for Georgia in June of this year, picking the Bulldogs over the Yellow Jackets.
“He was everything a coach wants in a player,” Rabun Gap head coach Derek White said in a statement. “Mar truly embodied our mission to ‘love one another.’ He was known for his relentless dedication and his journey as a student-athlete was marked by hard work and a true brotherhood with his teammates.”