Smart continues to get the best out of players despite high turnover

ATLANTA — A new season means some new faces for the top ranked Georgia Bulldogs. In Saturday’s 34-3 blowout win against Clemson, new players had their chance to step forward and make their mark.Coming into the season, head coach Kirby Smart signed 38 new players to the roster. All of them were eligible to play. Saturday’s win showed America that the Bulldogs can remain dominant despite the challenge of featuring new players.“I think it’s a process,” Smart said when asked about the secret for keeping players focused.& “The leaders on our team that I meet with believe in it, they sell it, they push it to the younger players. When you turnover that much, you’d better have a nucleus around them that can keep them grounded.”One of the leaders on the defense is safety Malaki Starks. Starks picked off Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik for the only turnover in the game.Starks, who is a junior, made a similar interception in the 2022 Aflac Kickoff Game against Oregon as a freshman.KJ Bolden congratulates Dan Jackson during the second half of the 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game between the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta,...