ATHENS — Matthew Stafford had a lot of learning moments that first season at Georgia, but the Kentucky game on Nov. 4, 2006, in Lexington, Ky., still stands out.

Stafford had been the starter only a few weeks when the favored Bulldogs took on the Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. Stafford threw three interceptions, got hit at least a dozen times and Georgia lost in the last minute 24-20.

“I’ve taken a lot of hits since then. It’s hard to remember,” Stafford said with chuckle Friday. “… I got my helmet ripped off and my face was all bloody. And I was, like, ‘well, this is a lot tougher than you might think it would be.’ That was a tough one for me, for sure.”

But, Stafford added, all that helped him become what he eventually would be. The very next week, Stafford shook off the disappointment to help the Bulldogs’ score a stunning 37-15 upset of No. 5-ranked Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He would end the season as Georgia’s undisputed starter and leave as one of the Bulldogs’ greatest quarterbacks as all time.

After his junior season, he also became the No. 1 pick of the 2009 NFL draft. And for that, he gives UGA a lot of credit.

He said left Texas to come halfway across the country in order to play for Mark Richt and his pro-style offense. And even with Richt gone now, he believes that’s still a primary attraction for the program.

“Part of what drew me to Georgia at the time was being able to play in a system that was going to get me ready to play in  the NFL,” Stafford said. “I always dreamed of playing in the NFL. I didn’t dream of playing college football or high school football. I always wanted to play in the NFL and play at a high level there. So I wanted to go to a place that I knew would prepare me and, at the time and it’s still very true, Georgia was a program that could.

“Now could I have gone to another top-five program and still been the No. 1 pick? I don’t know. That’s a tough one to answer. I know it worked out for me and I’m happy it happened.”

Stafford sat down with reporters before his appearance at Kirby Smart’s coaches’ clinic on Friday. Here he is on a few more subjects:

On living in Atlanta and being good friends with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, with whom he recently won a second straight church-league basketball championship. …

“That’s apparently hot news. I met (Ryan) at the Pro Bowl a couple of years ago. We really didn’t know it then but we live right around the corner from each other and so we just started talking. I play golf with him a bunch. He’s a good hoops player, so we went out there and won us a little church-league championship for the second year in a row. It’s a lot of a fun, a fun way to keep active instead of going into the gym and lift weights and run.”

On the recruiting spotlight being brighter now than ever …

“I’m glad I’m as old as I am now for sure. That’s one heck of a spotlight to be under. I felt like when I was coming out it was a ton of attention. There’s no such thing as privacy really anymore, especially now. I thought it was that way when I was coming out. But that’s when probably the first camera flip phones were coming out. Anywhere you went a picture could be taken or you could be asked for whatever it was. It has only intensified. For those guys, anybody coming out from high school to college now, it’s an eye-opener for sure. It’s tough for those guys to make the right decisions all the time. It’s something that’s not going to go away. If he keeps playing football and keeps playing at a high level, the spotlight is only going to grow. And it’s something you have to adjust to and get used to.”

On how he dealt with the notoriety Jacob Eason is now experiencing …

“I don’t know. I think I was brought up by two parents who prepared me for those things. I’m lucky in that regard. Youo kind of have to live it, do your best. That’s what I tried to do. Not to say that I did it perfect all the time, but I just tried to be as good a person, good a teammate, good a friend as I could be and just kind of get through it. It wasn’t easy all the time. There were times I’m sure I didn’t make the right decision or didn’t do what was best. But you’ve got to learn from your mistakes and not make that mistake again.

On his impressions of Smart and what he’ll do for Georgia football …

“I don’t know if we’ve gotten deep enough to talk about vision of the program, but we have talked. I saw him a little bit ago and talked to him a little bit. It’s just good to see him. He was on the staff when I was getting recruited and then left right when I got here, in that spring semester or whatever it was. I’ve obviously watched his career at Alabama. He has learned under a great coach. He was a great player in his own right. So I’m confident to get this program going. Not that it was going in the wrong direction winning 10 games every year. But maybe he can help us get over that next step and compete for championships. That’s what playing sports is all about, is winning, and I’m sure he’s motivated to do that.”

On his feelings about Mark Richt’s dismissal at Georgia …

“I really enjoyed playing for him. He’s done a lot of good things for this school, this organization. But obviously they made a change. I didn’t have anything to do with that, obviously. I’m far removed. But I’m just happy for him that he got another opportunity, which was what he wanted. It seemed like once he was let go here he really wanted another opportunity and he got it at his alma mater, which was pretty awesome.”

On his interactions with Mike Bobo and Joe Cox at Colorado State …

Joe got married a couple of weeks ago and I saw Coach Bobo and a bunch of old guys who we all played with. I’m happy for them. I kind of watch from afar. We really don’t get a lot of chances to watch college football at all. Saturday’s are travel days and meeting days. But I’ve been watching them from afar and am happy about their success.

On UGA’s lack of championships despite producing lots of NFL talent …

“It’s all about getting the best players you can possibly get in here and win as many games as you possibly can. The SEC’s no joke. It’s a tough conference to win. We obviously know that. I never won one while I was here. But I hope Kirby can bring some of that Alabama championship run they’ve been on for however many years it can be. Hopefully he’s bringing some of that. But, you know, it’s up to the players. The players have to make the plays. Coaches can coach as much as they want. But you have to have great players and guys have t make the right plays at the right time. That helps you win it.”