Kirby Smart’s latest comments on Georgia’s freshman WRs are concerning but not out of the ordinary

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart is one to call it how he sees it and right now, he’s calling out his freshman wide receivers for being out of shape.

“They’ve got to get in shape,” Smart said. “They’re constantly tired at practice. They’ve got their hands on their hips, exhausted. I think there’s a little anxiety in that. So it’s not like it’s all, they’re not taking more reps. So like the older players might have 25 reps in a practice. They might have 20, but they can’t sustain their 20 reps throughout practice. They get really tired. So, you know, they’re trying. There’s no lack of effort and they’re talented, but they’ve got a long way to go in terms of learning what to do and that’s our job. Our job is to get them ready to go. They are not where they need to be.”

This may sound concerning, but Smart seems to say this every offseason.

The only difference is that the Bulldogs are in desperate need of star receivers after last year’s season full of dropped passes.

Georgia has five freshman wide receivers they’re trying to shape up, starring five-star recruit Talyn Taylor.  C.J. Wiley, Landon Roldan, Thomas Blackshear and Tyler Williams are the other names to keep an eye on.

Williams, however, will miss the rest of spring training after suffering torn ligaments in his ankle during Saturday’s practice.

Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are All Tired

The freshman aren’t alone in struggling to stay afloat this spring as Smart says everyone is out of shape.

“We have a very young, inexperienced group. We really can’t practice to our standard because they’re all tired,” Smart said. “So like we go to practice and it’s like great energy, great in shorts. Guys learning what to do and then we start going and it’s like they can’t go. Tired.”

Smart isn’t necessarily blaming the player but rather putting the blame on his coaches. And while his team may not look too good right now, he understands it’s always a work in progress and remains optimistic.

“So we got to do a better job getting them in shape. We’ve got to probably simplify some to get guys just to go play and not be thinking out there. But a lot of young players and I need the older players, I mean old to me is year two, year three, that’s old, to lead year one guys. Because I feel like half the roster is in their first season at Georgia. Not necessarily first season in college, but their first season at Georgia and that’s it’s been tough.

“So we’ve got a long way to go but I am optimistic. We do have good kids and they do work hard.”