Kirby Smart likes what he has seen from Lorenzo Carter in spring

Kirby Smart heard some things about Lorenzo Carter upon arriving as Georgia’s head coach.

So far, Smart hasn’t found them to be true.

Smart admitted that he heard Carter had a reputation for not doing the necessary things needed to improve himself in practice. This spring, Smart said he has seen Carter do plenty to prove why he was regarded as one of the nation’s top defensive prospects in the recruiting class of 2014.

“A lot of people told me Lorenzo maybe wasn’t physically tough enough and sticking his face in there,” Smart said. “Everybody talked about the sophomore slump, that kind of thing. We’ve really tried to challenge him to be more physical.”

Carter was expected to play a major role in 2015 and perhaps the expectations were a bit too much and premature given that Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd were still in front of him on the depth chart. Davin Bellamy’s emergence at outside linebacker also made the position group more of a rotation behind the starters, which caused Carter’s numbers to take a dip.

As a freshman in 2014, Carter totaled 41 tackles and 4½ sacks. As a sophomore, Carter’s numbers fell to 19 tackles and zero sacks.

Carter could see his numbers rise back to where they once were, especially since he’s expected to be a starter when the season starts against North Carolina on Sept. 3. During the first week of spring practice, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker gave Carter an award for causing the most ball disruptions.

“He’s done a good job giving extra effort, and I’ve been pleased with that,” Smart said. “I’ve been pleased with what he’s doing so far. But I think he’s one of those guys you have to push and challenge all the time because he’ll relax on you.”

Considering the production Georgia is forced to replace at outside linebacker — 133 tackles and 8 ½ sacks from Floyd and Jenkins, it will need Carter to become as much of a disruptive force on the edge as his predecessors were.

Bellamy believes Carter will be the kind of playmaker the Bulldogs need in 2016.

“Zo has always been a hard worker,” Bellamy said. “He’s definitely taken some strides trying to be a leader. It’s new for a lot of us having to be in this position.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Kirby Smart likes what he has seen from Lorenzo Carter in spring."