The Georgia Bulldogs have landed a major college football transfer in West Virginia safety Tykee Smith. New Georgia defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae helped Georgia secure a commitment from the talented safety, who will be immediately eligible to play.
Jahmile Addae served as the defensive backs coach at West Virginia for two seasons before leaving for Athens, Georgia. Smith and Addae have a good relationship from their previous time together.
Kirby Smart knew the secondary would be a weakness for Georgia, so he addressed the need with one of the top players in the NCAA transfer portal.
The former West Virginia star, who is 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds, is expected to compete for a starting safety position. His transfer gives Georgia more depth in the secondary and allows Lewis Cine to potentially play more from the slot.
Don’t be surprised if Georgia plays more with three safeties at one time next season. Christopher Smith, Lewis Cine, and Tykee Smith are all Georgia’s most experienced defensive backs.
Jahmile Addae and Tykee Smith helped West Virginia have the No. 1 passing defense last season (159.6 yards allowed per game) despite playing in the pass-heavy Big 12. Georgia had only the No. 88 ranked pass defense in the country last season (248.7 yards allowed per game).
Georgia’s passing defense was surprisingly poor in 2020 despite having an abundance of talent in the secondary. The Dawgs are losing Eric Stokes, Richard LeCounte, Tyson Campbell, Mark Webb, and DJ Daniel to the 2021 NFL draft. Additionally, Georgia lost Tyrique Stevenson, who transferred to Miami.
Tykee Smith announced his decision to transfer to Georgia via his Twitter account:
Same Mission, Next Chapter…🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/mfJDGAa4Dk
— T.Smith (@TykSmith) April 5, 2021
