1/15/18 12:01pm

BREAKING NEWS: UGA LB Roquan Smith declares for 2018 NFL Draft

By. Andrew Rodberg

Straight out of high-school, there was much controversy surrounding 4-star LB, Roquan Smith, out of Montezuma, GA. After taking multiple official visits to UCLA, Texas A&M, Michigan and USC, Roquan ended his recruitment and verbally committed to UCLA on National Signing Day, but that same day it became evident to Roquan that he was being lied to about certain coaches staying on the staff, when in reality they were leaving.

With this shocking news taking place, UGA called Roquan and made their moves on the highly coveted LB and ultimately landed him in their 2015 class and the rest was history.

Being a freshman on campus, Roquan had to fight to get minimal playing time where he made the most of his opportunities. In his freshman year, Roquan appeared in 10 games and had 20 total tackles. In the offseason, he proved himself and made the starting roster his sophomore year where he appeared in every game and racked up 95 total tackles.

As time went on, Roquan became faster, stronger, more physical, and the leader on  defense. Coming into his junior season, Roquan hide behind the senior LB’s, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy, who came back to “finish the drill.” With each game, Roquan’s play-making ability began to show and teams began to fear him. He was able to tackle in the open field, chase down runners from sideline to sideline, and attack the QB. With this presence being felt, teams had to prepare for him and his ability.

After a year where many thought Roquan could get a little better, he exceeded all expectations and totally rocked the country. In his junior year, Roquan racked up 137 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. Not only did DawgNation take notice but the Nation did as well, as he was awarded the 2017 Butkus Award for the best LB in the Country.

After a stellar postseason where he had 37 tackles in 3 games, Roquan and the Georgia Bulldogs fell short in OT in the National Championship Game. A week after that tough loss, Roquan has decided to forego his senior season and declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.

As DawgNation will miss Roquan, we all know he is going to be a beast in the NFL and continue to make a name for himself.

Join me in thanking Roquan for his 3 years of service to the University of Georgia!

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