Field Street Forum

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and players Azeez Ojulari and Nate McBride offered the following comments after practice Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Kirby Smart, Head Coach (Full transcript)
On how he felt with Jack Podlesny as kicker going into the first game against Arkansas and how he got the starting job…
“I thought he did a tremendous job. He had a lot of composure. Trust me, it was not easy for him to win that job. There were a lot more intense battles throughout our 26-26 practices for him to get to that point. He’s done a great job. The best thing about him is he’s improved. Rod [Rodrigo Blankenship] was here and he was kicking with Coach [Scott] Fountain and those guys and working each day and didn’t really stand out, and he stood out this year. He’s done a great job. He’s really been impressive with his kick-offs. He kind of won that job first in camp, and then he continued to battle at field goals with Jared Zerkel and Jake Camarta, and he ended up winning the job. He’s a great young man. He does a great job. I know his high school coach [Rocky Hidalgo] really well, and he bragged on him all the time. Rocky Hidalgo told me how good he was, and [Jack] came to us, walked on, and he’s done a great job so far.”

On the performance of UGA’s defensive line and how much freshmen Jalen Carter and Warren Ericson have helped bolster the rotations…
“They’ve both done a good job. They’re a work in progress. Like most freshmen, they’ve had some mistakes. They were able to go in and play and the kid who didn’t get to make the trip based on sheer numbers but is playing really well. The one thing I’ve learned is how much better kids get during the season by going to the scout team. Warren [Ericson] goes down there, Jalen [Carter] goes down there, Naz [Nazir Stackhouse] goes down there. Naz has gotten reps in and is getting so much better by going against Trey Hill and Justin [Shaffer] every day. They just get so much work, and it makes you realize how much faster you can get better. Those guys have helped bolster the rotation for sure.”

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