Kirby Smart hands out NFL draft endorsement to Smael Mondon following Sugar Bowl loss
There were still bright spots in the Georgia Bulldogs' 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday. And senior linebacker Smael Mondon was one of them. In his final start for Georgia, Mondon led the defense with nine total tackles (four solo) and one sack. Following the game, head coach Kirby Smart […]
There were still bright spots in the Georgia Bulldogs' 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.
And senior linebacker Smael Mondon was one of them.
In his final start for Georgia, Mondon led the defense with nine total tackles (four solo) and one sack.
Following the game, head coach Kirby Smart took a moment to highlight Mondon's resilience this season and endorsed him ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
"Yeah, he's an incredible kid," Smart said of Mondon. "I mean, he had a really bad injury, guys, and then he had a really bad injury on top of his fixed injury. So, I got so much respect for him. He could have shut it down, not played this year. He sat out for three or four games to let it heal, and then he came back with just — and played so good down the stretch, and I'm so happy for him because he's got to go into the NFL process with a pretty significant injury that he's had, and he's played with good tape.
"So, somebody's going to get a really good football player out of Smael."
Mondon hasn't had the best luck with injuries during his college career run but he has certainly made the most of the hand he was dealt.
In the nine games Mondon was healthy for during the 2024 regular season, he racked up 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and three pass breakups.
Mondon leaves Georgia four years later appearing in 50 career games while totaling 204 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception, and six pass breakups for the Bulldogs.
As Smart noted, there are a lot of great moments on tape from Mondon for scouts to look back on even through his injury, but perhaps his best year on film is when he started 13 games for Georgia's 2022 undefeated and National Championship team.
Mondon officially accepted his invite to the 2025 Senior Bowl earlier this week, which is the first major step of the NFL Draft process and kicks off on Feb. 1.
