The No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs suffered a blow on Tuesday as linebacker Nolan Smith will miss the rest of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle – according to ESPN.com. Smith suffered the injury in the first half of Georgia’s 42-20 victory over the Florida Gators and did not return. The 21-year-old senior, who profiles as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, leads the Bulldogs in sacks (three), tackles for loss (seven), and quarterback hurries (16).
In addition to his stellar play, Smith has been praised for his leadership, as evidenced by last week’s comments from head coach Kirby Smart.
“Nolan is a natural leader,” said Smart. “He’s been that way since I met him when he was in eighth grade, and he came up here to camp. He’s been a natural leader. His leadership is more important than his ability, and his ability is pretty strong. He creates a toughness and holds people to a standard of the way you strike blocks, the way you close on counters, the way you rush with effort, special teams, I mean, he plays on all special teams. He’s just a core guy.”
With Smith sidelined, sophomore Chaz Chambliss is expected to be the next man up. Chambliss filled in admirably for Smith against the Gators, notching one sack, three tackles, and one tackle for loss.
Georgia hosts No. 2 Tennessee this Saturday, where the Bulldogs are currently -8.5 point favorites on the spread and -315 on the moneyline, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
