Thursday February 20th, 2025 4:38PM

Georgia running back Musa Smith going pro

Musa Smith will enter the NFL draft after becoming the first Georgia running back since 1992 to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Assistant coach Mike Bobo said Smith, a junior, informed the staff of his decision Tuesday after returning to Athens from his family home in Elliotsburg, Pa.

``He just felt he was ready for the NFL,'' said Bobo, who began working with the team's running back after Tony Pierce resigned at midseason. ``We think he's physical enough to play at that level.''

The 6-2, 226-pound Smith bounced back from two injury plagued seasons to rush for 1,324 yards and eight touchdowns this season, helping Georgia win its first Southeastern Conference championship since 1982.

Smith was named Sugar Bowl MVP after running for 145 yards in a 26-13 win over Florida State.

He became the second prominent Bulldogs player to leave early, following defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan.

Smith could not immediately be reached for comment. He has moved to an off-campus apartment and does not have a listed phone number. A woman answering the phone at Smith's home in Pennsylvania said the running back could not be reached. She declined to give her name.

Smith indicated after the Sugar Bowl that he was considering the draft, in part because Georgia will lose all five starting offensive lineman and blocking fullback J.T. Wall.

``I think losing the offensive line and fullback probably weighed heavily on him,'' Bobo said. ``We never tried to convince him one way or the other. We just tried to make sure he had all the right information to make the right decision. It's a family decision. He sat down with his family, decided what to do and we wished him good luck.''

Smith might have been swayed by the crop of running backs available for the draft. Already considered a thin class, it lost another potential prospect when Miami's Willis McGahee tore two knee ligaments in the Fiesta Bowl.

The NFL underclassman advisory council told Smith that he was likely to be picked in the second round if he came out this year, according to Bobo.

``He's fine with that and wanted to give it a shot,'' Bobo said.

The Bulldogs, who set a school record with 13 wins and finished No. 3 in The Associated Press rankings, will lose eight starters on offense. Three of them - Smith, tackle Jon Stinchcomb and receiver Terrence Edwards - made the All-SEC team.

Smith played a major role in the offense, especially late in the season. He got the ball on 260 of Georgia's 536 running plays 48.5 percent.

``Obviously, it's going to hurt us experience-wise,'' Bobo said. ``We relied heavily on him. But we've got some good guys backing up.''

Tony Milton will get first crack at the job. The redshirt freshman carried 82 times for 314 yards.

Milton started one game when Smith was sidelined by a broken thumb, rushing for 78 yards on 18 carries to help the Bulldogs beat Kentucky.

``Tony did a great job in the Kentucky game and he did a good job every time he came,'' Bobo said. ``He's a hard, physical runner. He's not as big as Musa, but we think his best football is ahead of him.''

Georgia also has freshman Tyson Browning (111 yards, one touchdown) and Michael Cooper, who was redshirted this season but impressed during the bowl workouts. The Bulldogs also have a commitment from Kregg Lumpkin of Stephenson High School near Atlanta, rated as one of the top prep runners in the country.
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