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Former Georgia star Nolan Smith played through serious injury during Super Bowl, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Former Georgia star Nolan Smith made an impact in his first Super Bowl appearance this season. However, he reportedly played through a massive injury in the 2nd half of the win by the Philadelphia Eagles over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith recorded 2 quarterback hits for an Eagle defense that got after Patrick Mahomes all game long. As a unit, the Eagles registered 6 sacks and 11 QB hits on Mahomes in a dominant 40-22 victory.
But on Friday, NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported the former Georgia defender tore his triceps during the Super Bowl. In spite of that ailment, Smith played through the injury during the 2nd half of the Super Bowl victory.
That’s an impressive performance, no matter the fact a Super Bowl ring was on the line. Smith also received the good news that he underwent surgery on Wednesday and will be good to go for the 2025 season as the Eagles look to defend their title.
Smith was a first-round pick from Kirby Smart‘s program in 2023, joining a lengthy list of all-time Georgia draft picks. He recorded 1 sack while being used as a rotational player during his rookie season but began his ascension as an impact pass rusher this year.
The former Bulldog started 10 games this season while registering 6.5 sacks, 8 TFL and 11 QB hits with 42 total tackles. Now, he has his first Super Bowl ring in hand — and a memorable story to go with it.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
