Georgia went 8-5 the year prior, with three mind-numbing, devastating losses Between the Hedges of Sanford Stadium, which cost Georgia a great year in Smart’s first year. That included a 17-16 loss to Vanderbilt in Athens. It was a season of transition. Smart came home with great expectations and eyed a return to college football’s elite.
Things began to turn when Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, on the heels of a crushing loss to Tech, elected to return to Georgia for their senior seasons. Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy and Isaiah Wynn also came back and gave the Bulldogs a strong senior class and veteran leadership.