ATHENS — It’s easy to understand why Kirby Smart tends to be so guarded about what information comes out of practice at Georgia.
Much of the chatter around Auburn transfer Amaris Williams has been positive this spring. He was one of nine transfers Georgia football brought in this offseason, though he has perhaps the highest upside. Williams has SEC experience and joined the Bulldogs in part to reach his full potential.
Given Georgia ranked 107th in the country in sacks last season, it’s easy to assume Williams was brought in to elevate the pass rush. Smart said as much in a February sit-down with Glory Glory.
But Williams can’t be a one-way player considering how much Georgia prioritizes its run defense.
So, when Smart went viral over the weekend for his praise of how well tight end Elyiss Williams blocked Amaris Williams during a practice, it was a further reminder of what Georgia really wants from the transfer.
“Elyiss destroyed Amaris. Elyiss just destroyed Amaris,” Smart was captured saying. “Please don’t put him in against the run. Please don’t put him in against the run.”
Every player who comes through Georgia has a story similar to that of Amaris Williams. When Georgia sends its gaggle of Bulldogs to the NFL combine, they’ll often get asked about their “Kirby on the mic” moment.
“I’m not going to miss how loud he is,” offensive tackle Monroe Freeling said. “It’s actually weird being on the other end of it. I was, I think, over there by the track. It’s super far away. And I could just hear him yelling just like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ I was like, ‘Wow. Like that’s how loud it is from the outside?’
“No wonder people are clipping it online.”
When away from the practice field, Smart has been complimentary of Williams. Be it from recruiting Williams as a prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle or playing against him the last two seasons when he was at Auburn, the Georgia coach has long been an admirer of the outside linebacker.
Now that Williams is a Georgia Bulldog, Smart has higher expectations for him. That’s where his tongue-lashing of the player truly comes from.
“We’ll find out what he can add,” Smart said. “He’s certainly a quick and twitchy guy that we recruited out of high school. We know a lot about (him). He’s gotta be able to play within our system, understand our system, but add value. He can start by taking the reps he’s gonna get this spring.”
With Gabe Harris sidelined with a toe injury, Williams is being thrown straight into the fire. Georgia wants to get Williams up to speed in its system quickly so he can contribute in a way former Georgia Bulldog Elo Modozie could not in 2025.
Last offseason, Georgia landed Modozie out of the spring transfer portal window. He arrived as a much-hyped addition who was going to help the pass rush after the Bulldogs lost Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams to the NFL draft, while Damon Wilson departed via the portal.
Modozie had good production at Army, where he had 6½ sacks. But that didn’t help in his transition to Athens. Modozie had no sacks while failing to develop as a run defender.
After just one season, Modozie transferred to Purdue. He never got to take part in a spring practice like Williams is now for Georgia.
Part of the reason Modozie’s production never materialized for Georgia is because of the development of Quintavius Johnson. The former 3-star prospect took advantage of a thinned-out outside linebacker room. The extra reps helped the former Mays High School quarterback become a valuable run defender.
Johnson returns this season as a key piece of the Georgia defense. To this point, he’s much more comfortable as a run defender, which is to be expected as it’s Johnson’s third year in the program.
What’s telling about Johnson, though, is that he pushed hard for Georgia to land Williams. As much as Johnson loves seeing the field, he knows the Bulldogs need more help on defense.
He said Williams can be just the guy to provide it.
“That’s my guy,” Johnson said. “I feel like I played a major part in his recruiting, and I feel like he fits the role and what we wanted him to play. He’s similar to Gabe Harris.”
Harris is out this spring as he recovers from toe surgery. His absence gives Williams more time and reps to learn how Georgia wants things done. Harris’ presence on the roster also limits the pressure on Williams to be a major player for Georgia in the way it hoped Modozie would be last season.
Georgia learned the hard way how important Harris was to the team’s defense. After a stellar close to the 2025 season, there was a notable drop-off when he missed the team’s season-ending loss against Ole Miss.
That game laid bare the problems with Georgia’s pass rush and defensive front. One of the big differences between the first and second game between the two programs last season was that Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy ran for 67 more yards when Harris was sidelined.
It’s important to note as well that while Smart has harped on his desire to field a more disruptive defense, the primary goal for this team still is to stop the run.
That’s why Smart was so hard on Williams in the viral clip. Georgia is asking a lot from the Auburn transfer. It’s better to find out early how much he can handle now than potentially having to do so in an important game.
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