Maurice Smith already entrenched at second SEC program

Last Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game not only marked the debut of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart but of defensive back Maurice Smith (2), who transferred to the Bulldogs last month after graduating from Alabama.
Last Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game not only marked the debut of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart but of defensive back Maurice Smith (2), who transferred to the Bulldogs last month after graduating from Alabama.

EASON TO START

Georgia freshman quarterback Jacob Eason is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against Nicholls State, multiple media outlets reported Thursday night. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Eason backed up fifth-year senior Greyson Lambert in last Saturday’s 33-24 win over North Carolina but had a more productive game from a statistical standpoint, completing 8 of 12 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.— David Paschall

ATHENS, Ga. - Given the stressful summer Maurice Smith endured while seeking a transfer from Alabama to Georgia, was he really expected to just ease into his first game with the Bulldogs?

The defensive back, who was cleared in mid-August to switch Southeastern Conference schools, made an instant impact in last Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The 6-foot, 195-pounder started in Georgia's secondary, totaled five tackles and broke up two passes as the Bulldogs rallied to defeat North Carolina 33-24 inside the Georgia Dome.

"It was amazing," Smith said this week. "I'm still thinking about it right now, the way the fans were into it and how much these players have brought me in. I was surprised by how much they brought me in, because I had missed most of camp, yet they still embraced me as a player. That has meant a lot."

Smith announced in June that he would be transferring from Alabama, where he played in 40 games the past three seasons and collected 38 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He became the talk of the SEC in early August when his desired transfer to Georgia was blocked by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who said he was merely adhering to conference rules.

There were potential transfer destinations all over the country, including in his home state of Texas, but Smith was determined to land at Georgia after graduating from Alabama on Aug. 6. Alabama ultimately granted his release on Aug. 10, but Smith wasn't cleared to move until the SEC stamped its approval on Aug. 12.

Why Georgia and all the hassle that came with it?

"That came from perseverance that my parents instilled in me," Smith said. "We obviously made a commitment to the University of Alabama, and it was from the start to the finish. Once I decided to take my talents somewhere else and to move on, it was like I wasn't going to stop until I got a no from the last person or that last word of mouth, which was the SEC.

"If they had said no, I would have stopped, but until then, I wasn't going to be satisfied."

Smith practiced with Georgia for the first time Aug. 13, but he still had the five-day acclimation period required by the NCAA before joining his new teammates in contact work and in scrimmages. He immediately delved into Georgia's playbook upon his arrival, which had its share of familiarity given that new Georgia coach Kirby Smart was Alabama's defensive coordinator the last eight years and that new Bulldogs defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was secondary coach last season for the Crimson Tide.

Smart has been impressed, though not overly surprised, by Smith's ability to adapt.

"He is a leader by the way he practices," Smart said after last Saturday's opener. "I've known Maurice and have seen him practice for so long, and he practices like he plays. He goes super hard and strikes people. He doesn't have an off day, and he doesn't come in moody and not feeling like practicing. He gives you everything he's got every day, and that embodies what a champion should be, and that element helps our defense when they see that.

"We have other guys who do that, guys like Malkom Parrish and Dom Sanders, and the more guys you have doing that, it becomes contagious. He is a leader and it is unique, but that was the culture he was brought up in, and that's not going to change."

A couple of hours after Georgia downed North Carolina, Smith's former team was finishing a 52-6 bludgeoning of Southern California at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. Smith said he talked with Tide sophomore safety Ronnie Harrison after Alabama's rout and added that he remains on a group message with several Tide defensive backs.

Smith said he always will be friends with those he left behind but that he is moving on at a new locale without second-guessing a decision he is happy to defend.

"Honestly, it was more of the fact that I felt like I had a better opportunity to play here," Smith said. "Me and Coach Smart's relationship wasn't as strong as the outside looking in would think it would be. I just felt like I had a better chance to play here and make an impact as soon as I got here."

That impact was felt last weekend, and it was followed by a shared moment between a coach and a player who began this year helping Alabama to a fourth national title in seven seasons.

"He and I have been through quite a bit," Smart said, "and I was proud of the way he played."

Bulldogs recognized

Georgia's football program has been recognized by the NCAA as one of four winners of the Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award for 2015-16.

The Bulldogs received the honor as a result of their first-response care and subsequent support for injured Southern University player Devon Gales and his family. During the third quarter of last September's Georgia-Southern game at Sanford Stadium, Gales suffered a career-ending spinal injury while blocking on a kickoff return.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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