From Athens:10-08-18

Mecole Hardman was close to breaking returns more than once in 2017.

D'Andre Walker was one of the reasons that our Special Team coverage went from mediocre or less to top notch. Football player. 2018 is going to be painful for those he lines up against.

Buc wrote: Mecole Hardman was close to breaking returns more than once in 2017.

Yes he was.

I really laid it out there for this young man when he first signed and I knew his impact would come on offense and special teams more-so than on defense.

We saw what he could do in THAT game (sorry.. still can't think about it).

I look for some big things again on offense, and on ST this season.

##4Beastmode

Remember your posts on Mecole Hardman, also remember you speaking out about Jonathan Ledbetter early on. Right on both counts Wartdawg. Especially proud of Ledbetter . . . . young man grew up and is now a solid leader. Jonathan Ledbetter will have a lot to do with shaping this group of talented players in 2018. Getting close to showtime Wartdawg.





Edit . . . . Meant to post this video also.

I'm most proud of Ledbetter. In my opinion having seen him play, Hardman was an easy call. All you really had to do was see the goods on the field. His only issue was drops and that was fixable.

Ledbetter however was a tougher one to call though because of some issues not related to ability. It took a bit more faith to step out and get behind him as a solid and consistent contributor. Really proud of that young man.

Plus Ledbetter's contributions don't always show up on the highlight reel. Often it's his hard work that leads to a Roquan Smith making the big play. When you guys see and understand his contributions, it's a testament to how well you know the game.

Early on though it would have been easy to say you weren't counting on him, and completely understandable.

I spend a lot of time watching film, and there is little doubt that the defensive line played a huge part in Roquan Smith being able to produce the way he did. That in my mind is . . . . coaching. Also referred to as “process”. Taking nothing away from Roquan’s play on the field, points to the confidence that is shared by both the players and the coaches. Our defense is one of the best 11 overall units in college football and that requires “team play”. Smart demands just that and I believe that he is going to take coaching UGA Football one step further in 2018. Kirby has more pieces to work with in his third year in Athens. Have heard the word “talent” coming out of Kirby’s mouth more and more during his interviews.

Expect Natrez Patrick to be all that was expected of him when he entered UGA. Damn sure like Kirby’s approach with this talented young man. Natrez has been through the “Smart Process”, he will light it up this season. No doubt.

These guys believed in Smart, add to that Smart believed in them. Bottom line . . . . Everyone comes out a winner, including the FANS.