ATHENS — It took a lot of hard work and repetitions for Arian Smith to shed the left-handed compliment some football players receive of being a so-called “Track Guy.”
But make no mistake about it, NFL teams evaluating Smith are well-aware he was one of the fastest players in college football last season, and yes, he does have a notable track background.
The improved route-running and ability to beat press coverage were two of the major hurdles for Smith to clear during his career at Georgia, which saw him overcome several injuries early to become a durable player by his senior season.
Smith had some inconsistent moments connecting with former quarterback Carson Beck — the two were sometimes not always on the same page.
But Smith had a strong showing during the NFL draft evaluation process, at the Senior Bowl and at the NFL combine, leading many to believe his dropped passes were more of an outlier than a trend moving forward.
Here are three more things to know about Smith:
Track background
Smith began his career at Georgia running track and playing football, having recorded the longest long jump among high schoolers in the country in 2018 (25-03.25) and winning a gold medal in the 2019 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships as part of a 4 x100-meter relay.
Smith also earned All-American honors in track at UGA in 2021, running a personal-best time of 10.10 in the 100 meters.
Smith’s obvious game speed was such that some expected him to challenge the NFL combine record of 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but instead he finished with a 4.36 — the fastest among UGA players at the 2025 NFL combine.
Leading receiver
For all the talk of Smith’s inconsistency catching the football, the senior still led the team with 817 yards receiving on 48 catches, catching passes of 40 yards or more in five of the Bulldogs’ 14 games last season.
Smith also recorded three 100-yard receiving games, with 132 yards on six catches against Alabama, 134 yards on five catches against Mississippi State and 110 yards on three catches against UMass.
Smith also played gunner on the UGA punt team the past two seasons on a unit that surrendered only 23 yards in punt returns over a 28-game span.
Injuries overcome
Smith’s perseverance to pursue his football dreams has been impressive, as he has had to overcome a laundry list of injuries from the time he arrived at Georgia with a broken wrist.
Smith suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee as a sophomore, along with a broken right fibula that ended his season.
Smith missed the first four games of his junior season in 2022 while recovering from a high ankle sprain, and entering into the 2023 season Smith had surgery to repair a fractured ankle.
The injuries led Smith to retire from track at UGA following the 2022 campaign and focus solely on football, which helped lead him to a healthy finish to his career with the Bulldogs.
“I love that kid because there’s not a harder worker on our football team than Arian Smith,” UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “He’s a guy that’s going to give you 100 percent every play.”
