georgia football tykee smith start

Tykee Smith’s first year at Georgia was much tougher than he planned.

A broken foot, a torn ACL, and a lengthy recovery later, Smith is finally seeing the on-field results he came to Athens for.

The junior logged his first start as a Bulldog last Saturday against Missouri, where had three tackles in the 26-22 victory.

“It meant a lot to me, just being able to go out there and help the team in any way possible, the best way as possible,” Smith said. “It meant a lot to me just finally being able to get out there after all the injuries I’ve been through.”

Smith filled in at the star position for Javon Bullard, who was unable to play due to suspension. Bullard is expected to start and play against Auburn this Saturday, but Smith will continue to compete with him for snaps.

Most did not think he would have to wait as long as he did to make an impact with the Bulldogs. Consider he didn’t play a snap against Kent State just the week before.

Smith spent most of Georgia’s national championship campaign – and the following offseason – sidelined and recovering. He broke his foot in August of 2021, played in one game for Georgia against Auburn and then tore his ACL during practice prior to Georgia’s game against Kentucky.

“He had an unfortunate injury,” Smart said during his Tuesday press conference. “It happens and there’s guys walking all over the NFL with the same injury he had. I still think that guys are usually better in the next year after that injury and he’s in the first year recovering from it and he’s done a really good job.”

The veteran defensive back also faced a mental hurdle in his return to action.

“I had been out for a long time, so just getting back into the feeling and then the confidence part is the biggest thing,” Smith said. “Me trusting it and being able to go out there.”

Smith arrived in Athens with All-American honors from his time at West Virginia. Even with a defensive back room that featured two NFL draft picks along with Christopher Smith and Kelee Ringo, Tykee Smith was expected to provide a significant boost to the UGA secondary. He played for then Georgia defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae at West Virginia and filled a role that was similar to Georgia’s star position.

A Philadelphia native, told reporters he transferred to Georgia because of Smart’s NFL-style defense.

Smith also heard about the defense and playing for Smart from former Bulldog Mark Webb, a fellow Philadelphia product. The current Georgia defensive back wasn’t able to visit campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to know what the program was about.

“He kind of told me how Coach Smart coached,” Smith said. “How he would coach me hard and get me ready for the next level and then the type of defense they ran and that was the biggest thing, just getting coached hard and trying to have an opportunity to go to the next level.”

Smith’s teammates knew he was SEC-ready from the moment he arrived. He just needed to stay healthy.

“He’s a ball hawk, man,” Georgia defensive lineman Zion Logue said. “Before Tykee messed his knee up, we saw flashes of it. First when he got here, last year before he got hurt with his foot, he loves being around the ball.

“He’s a guy that will punch the ball out. He gets turnovers, so it was great to see him in that starting position.”