kirby smart rara thomas

ATHENS — Georgia football doesn’t take a player out of the NCAA transfer portal unless there’s a position of need and Kirby Smart believes that player can make a successful transition.

The Bulldogs added Mississippi State receiver Rara Thomas with hopes he could become the playmaker Georgia needs at the “X” position once held down by A.D. Mitchell and George Pickens.

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Thomas remains a work in progress, and the competition in the UGA receiving corps is picking up quickly, with Missouri transfer WR Dominic Lovett leading the way.

Originally a 3-star prospect from Eufala, Ala., Thomas, is still working to prove he can adjust to the demanding and big-time nature of Georgia football practices.

Thomas, a third-year junior, led Mississippi State with 44 catches for 626 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and he had 18 catches for 252 yards and 5 touchdowns his freshman season.

Smart indicated on Saturday that Thomas has shown signs of having the talent needed to contribute for Georgia’s two-time national championship program.

“Rara had … a little bit of a bone bruise on his knee, so he missed one or two days, came back Thursday, had a good practice Thursday, was catching his wind and then he had a pretty good scrimmage today,” Smart said at his Saturday press conference following the team’s scrimmage at Sanford Stadium.

“Biggest thing with RaRa is he’s shown us some ability to make plays downfield, which we think we really need. He catches the ball well.”

Insiders at the scrimmage reported that Thomas showed the ability to extend to make catches while keeping his feet in bounds.

Talent, however, goes so far in Georgia’s Pro Style offense.

Receivers are required to block with ferocity as well as line up with pinpoint accuracy.

It’s also paramount the receivers can read defenses and stay in sync with the quarterbacks when adjustments are made at the line of scrimmage.

UGA’s offensive system is more on par with NFL offenses and more complex than the system Thomas came from in Starkville.

“He’s got to learn the system,” Smart said bluntly. “Like with him, it’s these little administrative things: What’s my split? What’s the call? How do I get the signal? Where do I line up? Because he wasn’t in a system where he had to do all those things.

“So there’s a little bit of a learning curve there, but we’ve got a guy with good ability. He’s got to be more dependable.”

Georgia has six spring football practices remaining, including the annual G-Day Game on Saturday, April 15.