Georgia coach Kirby Smart knows a few things about several members of the Florida defense. That’s in part because he coached them while they were Georgia Bulldogs.
The most prominent of those is edge rusher Brenton Cox. He first signed with Georgia in the 2018 recruiting cycle, flipping his commitment from Ohio State to the home state Bulldogs.
Cox though didn’t last long at Georgia. After the Bulldogs brought in Azeez Ojulari, Nolan Smith, Adam Anderson and Jermaine Johnson in the 2018 and 2019 recruiting cycles, the former 5-star prospect ended up electing to transfer to Florida in August of 2019.
He’s since gone on to become a very productive member of the Florida defense. He led Florida in that stat last season with 8.5 and currently leads the team in tackles for loss with 8.0 this season.
Cox has occasionally gotten chippy with the Georgia fan base. But his former head coach has nothing but respect for the former Stockbridge, Ga., product.
“They still got the edge guys with Brenton, being probably the most disruptive guy that we’ve played in terms of just violence, striking, knock-back, setting edges, affecting the quarterback,” Smart said. “He’s a game-breaker at that.”
Related: Florida sack artist Brenton Cox puts Georgia offensive line on notice
Elsewhere on the Florida defense, the Gators have former Georgia cornerback Jalen Kimber. He transferred to Florida this past off-season.
Defensive back Chris Smith still speaks to both former Bulldogs, though far more often with Kimber than he does Cox. Kimber has played in every game for Florida and had a pick-6 in Florida’s win over South Florida.
“Guys aren’t on the team like they used to be, but you keep that great relationship if you had a good relationship with those players,” Smith said. “No love lost, but when you step in between those lines, you’re ready to go to work. It’s a business trip.
Even though this will be Billy Napier’s first time coaching in the rivalry, he does know some things about the Georgia program. Napier worked with Smart when the two were at Alabama from 2013 through the 2015 seasons.
Napier also recruited quarterback Stetson Bennett when the former was at UL-Lafayette. Bennett has made it known he would’ve gone to play for Napier had Georgia not called at the 11th hour with a scholarship offer.
“It was a tough phone call,” Bennett said on what he told Napier after he elected to come to Georgia. “I’m sure he had to make those same phone calls when he had to go to Florida. That’s just this game. You make your decisions, you let them know, they say alright, you say alright and smile the next time you see them.”
Georgia takes on Florida this coming Saturday, with the game set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start time. CBS will broadcast the game.
Kirby Smart praises former Georgia Bulldog Brenton Cox
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