This season’s Georgia Bulldogs are obviously a special unit. Kirby Smart and his staff have mentioned for months now that this team was always going to have to rely on more youth and inexperience than fans are typically used to seeing. Freshmen have had to step up. Injuries have made it even worse. However, all the injuries, inexperience, and developmental steps of this team have led to some special moments and opportunities for players that love the Georgia football program. After the game on Saturday, both quarterback Gunner Stockton and Kirby Smart couldn’t help but sing the praises of a few underrated Bulldogs who helped the team win the SEC Championship. Kirby Smart even got rather emotional about it.

Gunner Stockton highlights two Georgia Bulldogs who helped win the SEC Championship

Georgia may have ended up completely destroying Alabama 28-7 in the SEC Championship, but the game didn’t start fast for the Bulldogs. The team punted two times in a row to open the first quarter, but then the first pivotal momentum shifting play happened. Cole Speer, a depth wide receiver who almost never sees offensive snaps, blocked a punt, setting up Georgia with a short field that led to the first touchdown of the game. That hugely important play was asked about several times in the postgame press conference following the SEC Championship. Gunner Stockton shared how special it was to see Cole make such a play:

“Oh yeah, [Cole Speer] is one of my best friends. He’s one of my roommates and just seeing all the hard work he’s put into this program, and just seeing it pay off, it was definitely special [to see him block that punt].”

Speer has been with the Georgia program since 2022. In an era where everyone tends to leave when they’re not getting enough playing time, Speer has chosen to stay with the Bulldogs, playing almost exclusively on special teams. He’s played less than 100 offensive snaps in his entire Georgia career, and still he gives his all in every opportunity, including the blocked punt on Saturday.

Speer wasn’t the only underrated player Stockton credited for Saturday’s success either. Malachi Toliver stepped up in place of the injured Drew Bobo at center, and played extremely well. It’s one thing to step in and play well against Charlotte and Georgia Tech like he had in the previous two contests. It’s another entirely to perform at a high level against Alabama:

“Yeah, [Malachi Toliver] was awesome. I mean, Malachi’s a fighter. He attacked practice the way Drew [Bobo does]. Drew is a good role model for him. He did a great job. Heck, we even took snaps in the walkthrough in our suits. I took my jacket off and he did too. We’re always preparing and doing everything, and he did a great job.”

Kirby Smart gets emotional as he talks up players like Cole Speer

The theme of underrated stars, young players, and inexperienced players stepping up against Alabama seemed to be a theme throughout the postgame press conference, and Kirby Smart loved it. When asked about Cole Speer, his blocked punt, and the story behind such a player, Kirby didn’t hold back. And he in fact credited all of his seniors who showed out against Alabama:

“Man, [Cole Speer] is just an unbelievable kid. He’s sacrificed so much for this program. It gets me emotional thinking about it because we had a team meeting on Friday. We spoke to the team. I spoke to the team. Drew picked five players. It was a very moving talk. He had coaches come down and talk about five seniors (Micah Morris, Daylen Everette, Dillon Bell, Cole Speer, and Oscar Delp). He put on the screen how many days they had been at Georgia. He put on the screen how many days potentially they had left. They had 1%. I think they had been there 1,200 days at Georgia because they’re all fourth and fifth-year players. Coach Coley talked about Cole Speer’s sacrifices. He got to be a really competitive receiver in the spring. He was playing really good, then got an injury in the spring game. It set him back. He never flinched. He never complained. He just does what he’s asked to do. He’s extremely fast and physical…Dillon Bell scores a touchdown tonight. Huge in the game. Daylen Everette gets an interception. Huge in the game. Cole Speer blocks the punt. Oscar played well also. Before [Drew] finished, he said, ‘Stand up if you’ve beaten Alabama in a game.’ None of them stood up. So it was a very moving piece.”

Cole’s incredible play was phenomenal by itself, but understanding the scale of time and effort that he and his fellow seniors have put in at Georgia makes Saturday’s SEC Championship even more special. All of them have been at Georgia for 1200+ days. None of them had played in a game where the Bulldogs had beaten Alabama, but that’s changed now.

What really seemed to bother Kirby Smart, or at least get him emotional once again later in the press conference, was that stories like Cole Speers, Dan Jackson, Cash Jones, London Humphreys, and more might just be gone in the very near college football future:

“I almost teared up in the locker room after [the game] when we called him up to the top because that’s going to be gone, guys. That’s going to be gone. Cole [Speer], we recruited Cole. And Cole’s on scholarship. It’s a little different than your Dan Jackson and your Cash Jones, but those stories [will be gone]. We’re going to 105 [scholarships] now, which I support. And I’m glad we’re going to 105, but everybody will chase 105 four and five stars. Okay? And the stories of that kid — I mean you’ve got to be a bold coach to say, I’m going to go take this kid who loves the University of Georgia and will do anything, and make sacrifices. London Humphreys, he had one of the best blocks I’ve ever seen tonight on a touchdown run. He sacrifices every week for our team by blocking. He might get a catch. He might get two. But man, he doesn’t care, he does it for his team. And that’s why I coach.”

It’s true, with all the changes around college football, stories of four-year dedication from athletes are becoming increasingly rare. And stories of bottom-of-the-roster walk-ons and special team players who stick around that long are going to become even more rare now that teams essentially getting rid of walk-ons, moving to 105 scholarships (from 85). Players like Speer, Jackson, Jones, and even perhaps “lower pedigree” three star type players who sacrifice themselves to do the dirty work like London Humphreys does with his blocking — those players might be completely replaced in future years as many teams take swings on “upside” and “high pedigree” players via high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

Hopefully the incredible stories of perseverance like Cole Speer (and many others) don’t entirely disappear from college football. If they do, football fans everywhere will be missing out on some incredible stories.

We’ll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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