There is a new candidate for the fastest man on the Georgia football team. His name is Arian Smith. Smith, the nation's No. 14 WR recruit and No. 72 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite ratings, chose to be a Georgia Bulldog on the first day of the early signing period. The 4-star WR chose the Bulldogs over
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Speed is nice; will take all we can get. But....CAN HE CATCH THE BALL?
Very nice get! Welcome to the DAWG Family Mr. Smith..GoDAWGS!
Rocket man Smith. Been pulling for him all along. I am pretty sure his buddy UGA track sensation Matt Bowling was instrumental in winning him over. Arian, yes, can catch the ball as well!!! He is a double threat. Excellent signee!!!
GO DAWGS!!!
Love speed and love this "get" for the program but in all honesty, the only speed a WR needs is enough not to be caught by a DB. It's route-running, recognition, and catch technique that matter far more. Now, if Rocket Man can do all that AND run a blue streak down the field after the catch, he will RULE in Athens.
Not to make this too long, but an example, STEVE LARGENT who led the NFL in all time pass receiving when he retired. Some quotes: ''The tag that I was too small and too slow just made me work that much harder,'' said Largent, who still catches more than 200 balls a day, even in the off-season. ''Besides, quickness is more important than flat-out speed. How often does a receiver run 40 yards straight down the field? Not very often. Lateral speed is what counts. How quickly can you get in and out of a cut? I can do that as well as anyone.'' ''A receiver has to do two things: get open and catch the football,'' said Dick Haley, personnel director for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Largent's 40 time? 4.7 seconds. When he retired, he held every record for receptions, receiving yardage, and consecutive games with a reception (177).
So, LOVE the speed. Now, let's get some coaching to go with it and not let the coaching staff (or some players) fall back on the "lack of speed" false choice for lack of success. Maybe ask Julian Edelman (40 time: 4.54) for some pointers about getting open in the passing game.
I hope he has better hands than the speed WRs we have on the team right now.
