The Georgia Bulldogs know the challenge they are up against this week very well.
The Georgia Bulldogs are 4-0 and headed into another SEC matchup this week they are heavily favored in as the Vanderbilt Commodores prepare to come to town and attempt to pull off what would be a massive upset.
Through these first four games, nobody has been able to give Georgia a real fight just yet, and it's probably not likely it comes this week against the Commodores. This is a young Vanderbilt team in a transitional year, and that is marked by a true freshman starting quarterback in Jared Curtis. While Curtis is clearly a bit green and has some growing up to do, he also has shown flashes of brilliance.
Notably, fans have been talking about this game since the offseason because of the fact that Curtis -- who was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation for the class of 2026 -- was initially committed to Georgia before making a surprising late flip to the Commodores. Despite this, Smart was still all class on Monday when discussing Curtis and the type of player he is, and it sounds like there are not any hard feelings.
Smart Praises Curtis as Player, No Hard Feelings on Recruitment
"Tremendous talent," Smart said of Curtis. "Way better athletically than people give him credit for. I don’t know if anybody has tackled him, like, with one person tackled him, yet. He’s strong, he’s quick, powerful. He’s got great arm talent. I mean, everything everybody thought has been true."
While he did not directly address the recruitment, Smart did make a comment about no commitment being completely locked up until signing day, so he knows that this is a business where players are going to choose the best situation for them and nothing is personal.
With that being said, he would certainly like to see his team shut down the young quarterback instead of allowing Curtis to come into Sanford Stadium and be able to showcase his otherworldly talent.
This Vanderbilt team is likely a year away from being able to really compete in a game like this, but Curtis is capable of coming to Athens and having a phenomenal game to keep his team in it throughout the second half. At the end of the day, the Dawgs should absolutely win this, but Smart knows Curtis can make things a little bit hairy.
Clearly, Smart wanted Curtis to come to Georgia, but Curtis was talented enough to start as a freshman in the SEC, and this would not have been the case in Athens. Now, he has to prepare his team to go up against this dynamic young quarterback, but Smart knows as well as anyone just how good this kid is.
