GA News: OnlineAthens - Roquan Smith bringing a 'full speed' attitude at ILB for UGA

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From OnlineAthens.com
August 9th, 2016 04:22 PM

Listen to Kirby Smart talk about Roquan Smith and it sounds like the Georgia football coach wishes he had a roster full of players that bring the same approach the inside linebacker does to the practice field.
“He just plays as hard as he can every play,” Smart said. “He doesn’t have a governor….He plays really fast all the time.”
The sophomore will have a chance to use that motor on a defense that needs players that can get to the ball after losing leading tackler Jake Ganus.
Smith had much-publicized recruiting drama after committing on national TV to UCLA on signing day in 2015, but not signing a letter of intent with any school. He ended up giving Georgia a verbal commitment later that month and signed financial aid papers instead.
Alabama, where Smart was defensive coordinator, offered the four-star recruit a scholarship out of Macon County High School, but he didn’t sense he was a top priority for them.
“They recruited me some but they didn’t recruit me heavy,” Smith said before Georgia practiced Tuesday night.
Now Smith is showing Smart he can be counted on in an inside linebacker group that includes Natrez Patrick, Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough by his never-say-stop attitude.
“I just believe in giving it my all in everything I do,” Smith said. “If I start something, I’m going to finish it the way I start it and that’s full speed.”
“I see a lot of great energy from him and the rest of the defense,” safety Quincy Mauger said.
Maybe Smith’s attitude is contagious.
“I think people feed off it so I try to keep it going,” Smith said.
Smith recorded 20 tackles last season playing on special teams as a backup linebacker.
“I did what I was told to do last year,” Smith said. “I did all I could.”
He’s not showing any signs of rust after being limited in the spring after wrist surgery.
“It was more mental than it was physical,” said Smith, who spent May rehabbing the injury. “It feels fine now.”
Smith was asked a couple of times Tuesday questions related to his signing day reversal but he hasn’t wanted to go there again.
“I don’t even think about that anymore,” Smith said. “I’m just glad to be here at the University of Georgia. …I barely even remember it.”
Smith said now he has more knowledge of the game and grasps the playbook better and also understands what’s expected of him.
There’s also more of him. The 6-foot-1 Smith is now at 230 pounds, up 13 from last season.
“I actually move the same,” Smith said of carrying more weight.
“The biggest thing for him is going to be staying healthy for his size,” Smart said. “He’s playing fast out there and that’s very pleasing to see. He’s taking on a little bit more of a leadership role and he’s got a lot of ability. He’s just got to continue to work the same way.”


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