Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is longing to bring back Brock Bowers or Travon Walker.
This year’s Georgia team hasn’t been as dominant as the one that captured the 2021 national championship behind stars like Bowers and Walker. Bringing back players already in the pros might sound impossible — but recent moves in college basketball suggest otherwise.
The Louisville men’s basketball team recently landed a commitment from NBA G League guard London Johnson, and head coach Pat Kelsey says he plans to pursue more G League talent in the future — comparing it to recruiting players from professional leagues overseas.
When appearing on FOX Sports’ “Bear Bets,” Smart was asked a fun hypothetical: If he could have one player he coached come back to this team, this year, is there a player that stands out?
“We really, really need some pass rush,” Smart said. “Somebody that could impact the game in a way that could be a huge difference maker.”
Apart from Walker and Bowers, FOX Sports’ Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica suggested Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean as players who would uplift the current Bulldogs’ squad.
For now, that’s not the reality. Smart and his players can’t count on an NFL star swooping in to save the day. Georgia, ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 at 6-1, has to find answers from within. The Bulldogs are allowing 313.4 yards per game and have needed second-half rallies to get past Ole Miss, Auburn and Tennessee.
“We got to kind of live with the identity we have,” Smart said.
Still, he’s impressed with how the Bulldogs have handled adversity.
“This group has been resilient as hell,” Smart said. “They love each other. They compete. We’ve played really good situational football. When we’ve been slow on offense, we’ve been good on defense, and vice versa.”
But he admitted that in a conference like the SEC, you can’t rely on that alone. Georgia needs to find some consistency — and fast.
“We’ve got to get it fixed,” Smart said.
Coming out of a bye week, Georgia will have a chance to do just that against Florida (3-4) this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
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