Smart, Players Discuss Spring Practice

GEORGIA FOOTBALL VIDEOS

Coach Smart

D. Jones

E. Robinson

S. White

ATHENS, Ga. – University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, along with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Sacovie White Helton and redshirt sophomore defensive backs Ellis Robinson IV and Demello Jones, spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon and offered the following comments.

Opening Statement
"Congratulations to our new women's basketball coach (Ayla Guzzardo). So excited to have her and as always, our spring sports are kicking butt. So, we've been watching those guys and girls compete."

On Talyn Taylor and wide receivers in the scrimmage…
"Talyn had a good scrimmage, on Saturday he caught punts, did a lot of good things. So, I'm excited about all the wide outs. They've done a good job. We want to be more explosive. We had some explosive plays in the pass game; we had some in the run game. We had some turnovers, we had some penalties, holding penalties and things on DBs. But as a whole, I thought it was a good scrimmage."

On Sacovie White-Helton's importance to the team…
"Competitor, he's tough, hard-nosed, works, just loves the game. He's a joy to be around, he has a smile on his face every day. He's just a great human being, Christian young man that I enjoy being around. Excited to see what he can do."

On Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes…
"He's done a good job. He's very intelligent, been well coached, came from a really good program, good coaching background, played in multiple defenses, played multiple positions, sharp, savvy, good football player."

On the changes without a spring portal…
"I don't know what difference it would be. We didn't respond or react to it really last year. We had a spring game, right? We scrimmaged – there's not anything we're doing different. So, I don't know, I guess you're looking at it from a perspective of at least I know I've got everybody back, per se. So, we're working on building depth, trying to get guys ready. But we were doing the same thing last year. So, I don't know how to answer the question, other than I don't see it as different."

On Ryan Montgomery's performance in the spring…
"Ryan's got that knee brace off. He came off a pretty serious knee injury. So, his mobility's been better. His decision-making has been good. Ryan's a very accurate passer. He understands the ins and outs of the offense, the check, and where to go with the ball. He's done a nice job of being accurate and making good decisions."

On players from North Oconee High School…
"I didn't get to follow, not early on. I mean, obviously, Kamari (Lassiter) was a guy, and Landon (Roldan), we recruited a lot. And then Dallas (Dickerson), at the end, we kind of fell into and had an opportunity to get a speed guy that's really good. And then we missed out on KB (Khalil Barnes) on the front end when he went to Clemson. But all those guys, number one, they're really high character kids. They come from a really solid program."

"I don't follow them any more than I would Buford or McEachern or somebody else. I get to follow all high school football, and they're a good program in our state that competes at a high level. They come to our 7 on 7, so you do get to see those kids more often."

On adding OTA-style practices in the spring…
"Yeah, we hadn't even looked at it. It basically makes it unmandated. Like you can do this window, that window, these days, those days. It's trying to, where you don't have to have all the checks and balances of exactly this. So, with it not affecting this spring, we didn't even look at it. The thing was so complicated that they proposed it last year – it confused me. It was like, you can do this, this, or this, or you can do this, you can do this, you can spread it all out. So, you have the non-contact days, you have the contact days. We have not even delved into it, because it really won't affect us until this time next year."

"I like the idea of the freedom to do what you want to do. I like that idea. It was really a model that was brought about with the thought process of a second portal. Because people wanted to utilize the post-second portal practice days. And in that model, it gave you some opportunities for June. I'm not real keen on going out there and practicing in June. Number one, it's hot. Number two, I'm focused on high school camps and high school recruiting. And I think it's important to give our guys some time off. But that lends itself more to an NFL model of you got a little OTA day here, you got a little OTA day here. You can do what you want to do. And we would utilize that if those were the rules. But I don't know exactly how we would spin ours to try to make it work. But with the model we have now, where our team is our team, I don't know how significant that change is."

On Tyriq Green…
"Anytime you can play at the highest level of football in Georgia high school football, which is the best football in the country, and play on both sides of the ball, it says you've got a pretty good coach. And it says you're a pretty good football player. He was a good football player on both sides of the ball at a very high level. So, the main thing that stood out to me is a two-way player who has size and speed. And he grew up in the ranks of youth football across our state, being a really good football player. And he played up with a lot of kids and knew a lot of the older kids because he was playing with those guys. He's still got a ways to go for us in terms of learning what to do, learning to understand assignments, pace of practice, and stamina. But we've had successful safeties come in in the spring and not have great springs. They were like KJ (Bolden), Malachi (Starks), Dan (Jackson), a lot of those guys went through springs, their first springs here, and they struggled some. So, he's been part of those struggles, too."

On Cortez Smith and the position battle at center…
"We've got five guys getting reps at center. I think you always have to have three. Obviously, those five getting them don't include Drew (Bobo), who's not practicing. So those guys are really battling it out. We haven't had perfect snaps, but we've had in the 90th percentile of accurate snaps, and that's got to be 100. So, anything less than 100 is not acceptable. Cortez (Smith) has done a good job, as has Malachi (Toliver), as has Zykie (Helton). And Waltclaire (Flynn) works in there, and then (Henry) Peagler works in there. So, Cortez has doubled up, got some reps at guard, as has Malachi (Toliver). And Phil (Rauscher), Stacy (Searles), Warren (Ericson), they do a good job of those guys, getting them reps, and ID in front and communicating. And I think Cortez (Smith) is doing a good job."

On Chase Linton…
"We recruited Chase because of some redeeming qualities. Number one, character, effort, intelligence. He's exemplified those things, and probably been tougher than I expected, in terms of the guy likes contact, and he likes hard work. He's been a high motor player for us. He runs the ball really hard, he plays a twitch, and he plays bigger than he is. I've been very pleased with Chase's progress, and we need him to get better to give us some of the pass rush we need."

On preparing for the nine-game SEC season…
"We're practicing. I don't know what you want me to say. We're lifting, we're running, we're practicing. We're practicing ones, twos, threes. We're very fortunate to have the ability to practice like we do. I'm very blessed with my administration and the support of Josh Brooks to have the staff members we have. Not to mention the scholarship numbers we have. I don't know that we have the best players or the most talented players, or the highest paid players. But we will have the players that get the most reps, and get the most improvement, and the most coaching, and most development, and that's what we sell. When you look out there and somebody's like, 'Those schools don't practice like you do.' Well, we have 19 offensive linemen, and not all of them can play. But we have guys out there getting reps. We have guys that are improving. That's the only way to get better, is go out there and take your reps. When you have that, you have the ability to do multiple things in practice and get a bigger body of work."

On Sacovie's joy in playing the game…
"The joy of the game comes from watching him on special teams. He's come to me several times and requested to be more of a value, an asset on special teams. He wants to do other things besides just return the ball. He always has a question. He's inquisitive about, 'What do I do if this happens? Or, Coach, how did you see that? Should I have done this?' He's very intelligent, he loves the game, and he's just always smiling."

On The Masters and playing Augusta National...
"I don't carve out time at all. When I have time, I love to watch. But I'm not going to carve any out because it's right during our busiest time. I'd say Sunday, there would be a lot of time because I have to grade the scrimmage, so outside of that I would get to watch. I'll have the app or leaderboard on my phone where I can check and see who's leading it and stuff like that. I don't even know who's playing in it from UGA. That's how out of touch I am. All the guys my age are all too old and don't play anymore. I have to track all these young guys to see who's playing, but I'm excited for them. I always wish and hope that we get one like Bubba (Watson) did, twice. I've been there a few times, but it's humbling, I'll say that."

On Demello Jones' improvement...
"I've seen an improvement in his maturity and his mental makeup. He is a typical corner that gets upset or frustrated if he gives up a play or any kind of play, and his recovery from that has been quicker. He's really physical. He's a really good tackler. Demello can play safety if you want him to play him in safety. He plays the middle of the field really well. He's a really good athlete and he's stronger than the other guys. He doesn't sometimes look bigger, but he's more physical in terms of getting on and off blocks and striking people."

On Ellis Robinson IV's journey at Georgia…
"Yeah, he was really talented. From the time he got here, he's got elite ball skills, elite cover ability, toughness, and a competitor. The mental disposition and the stamina are probably two reasons he struggled as a freshman, because we had good players here. We had a couple guys that are going to end up being drafted and play in front of him, and he grew into that. He could probably cover as good as they could then. He didn't always know exactly what to do. He got better at that. He got better at having a short memory. I think the Tennessee game and some of the games where he had some plays given up, grew him up a lot. There's no good remedy to growing guys up other than go out there and play. He's played a lot of football, and he's playing well right now. He has to play within the system all the time. And that's important that he understands the technique we're asking him to play with. When he does that, he's a really good football player."

On Bryson Beaver's first spring…
"He just got thrown in there. Picked him up, came in, started learning. He's had some moments of really good throws, and he's had some moments of some bonehead decisions. I think he'd be the first to tell you that. He's getting work, that's the positive thing. I wish we could get him and Buddha (Hezekiah Millender) even more reps. Nobody in the country is able to get as many quarterback reps as we are. We have got four or five guys that are out there getting quality work. My objective every day is to get him more reps. Because they only get better with reps. So, he's going to be a good player. He's got to continue to improve his mobility and move around the pocket. He's a good athlete, but I think the speed of the game is in the information he's processing right now. He's doing a great job. But measuring himself against mid-year freshmen, he's in a great position. Measuring himself against the room, he's got to continue to grow and know the system as well as those guys."

On if G-Day will operate as normal…
"No, right now I would say we're on course for a traditional game. We haven't changed G-Day, that I know of, since I've been here. In terms of format and the must-go two-minute at the end, you've got to throw the ball, try to keep it competitive, two teams. I don't see that changing."

On the offensive line depth...
"Some young players are coming along, progressing. A couple guys that didn't play much last year, you see the progress and them getting better. Are they going to get into the rotation? Is it going to be four guys interior, three guys exterior, play seven to eight guys, so that you got guys in case guys get hurt? I don't know if we're there yet. I think we've got some really good battles going on. For the first time that I've been here, we've got guys that started last year. Most games, or a lot of games that got somebody either beating them out or playing better than them in spurts. That's not just on the line. We've got guys playing really well. He's playing better than the guy that started every game in front of him. So, did we just have it wrong, or did he just get better and the other guy stayed the same? And I think that's a really good thing, and it defeats complacency for a guy that says, 'I'm going to sit back and start, because I started last year.' Now here, this dude is playing better than you. Yeah, you may still have a role, you still may play, but your role may change, because this guy is playing more snaps than you."

On Dontrell Glover and Juan Gaston…
"They're both working hard. Juan has done a good job with his weight of getting it down. I still would love to be a little bit further down. He's bounced between guard and tackle, doing both. He's a swing guy that can play both. I would love to have a little more consistency and stamina in Juan's play. As he gets tired, his playability goes down. If he's going to play every snap in a game, he's got to get in better shape to do that. Dontrell has worked really hard. He's been fighting a little injury bug. He got dinged up, but he hasn't missed a practice. He's not 100 percent, but he's out there competing and getting better and getting reps and still knows he has growth to do."

University of Georgia Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Khalil Barnes

Bryson Beaver

Juan Gaston

Dontrell Glover

Tyriq Green

Demello Jones

Chase Linton

Hezekiah Millender

Ryan Montgomery

Ellis Robinson IV

Cortez Smith

Talyn Taylor

Sacovie White-Helton

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