When Georgia started up their fall camp this week, head coach Kirby Smart chose to emphasize an interesting position group. Not the quarterbacks, receivers, or running backs, but instead on the most unlikely of all units, the punt team.
When he was asked about the media coverage in a short media viewing session during preseason practice, Smart criticized local media on the coverage he felt was unequal. According to Smart via the loudspeaker, no one in the media will copy our punt team depth chart since the most important play in football is the punt team.
“Nobody from the media wants to write down our punt team depth chart,” Smart reportedly announced. “The most important play in football is the punt unit.”, he added.
It was vintage Smart sarcasm, but it was also a reminder that he does think there is game-defining value. In Georgia, the execution has always been the determining factor, under Smart, on all levels, including special teams.
Yet, this summer, there are big changes in Athens. When there are significant offensive alterations in the works, it is not hard to figure out why the press has had its focus on different things.
Georgia’s Offense Rebuilds While Smart Preaches Discipline
As Carson Beck has transferred to Miami, Georgia starts the 2025 season with an actual quarterback battle between Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi. As per Associated Press, the Bulldogs also brought in transfer talent across the board. Zachariah Branch (USC) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M) at receiver, along with Josh McCray (Illinois) in the backfield, to fill gaps after a noticeable dip in scoring last year.
Georgia had a remarkable 40.1 points per game average in 2023. That went down to 32.6 last season, a fall that was explained by a lack of consistency of the offensive line and more dropped passes. That has been the cause of offseason speculation on the ceiling of the offense and has made the position battles, particularly at quarterback, a hot topic entering the season.
However, in the world of Smart, field position is not dead, and special teams is a non-negotiable point. His tongue-in-cheek comment about the punt team might have gotten laughs, but it was also good misdirection. Smart seemed to send out a message with all the focus on flashy new additions and big-time competitions: fundamentals still win championships.
Georgia has a lot to iron out before the season opener, but one thing has not changed, and that is the attention to detail, as shown by Smart. It could be a forgotten unit or a national championship run, and still, nothing passes him by.
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