He was an Auburn commit. Now rising star for Bulldogs, Pickens preps for SEC showdown

George Pickens was always slated to suit up in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 16, 2019.

For just over 18 months, it looked as if the Hoover, Alabama, native would sport the orange and blue of the Auburn Tigers. But he flipped his commitment to Georgia in February. Now, the Bulldogs’ rising star at receiver returns to his home state to face the school he was once committed to.

Pickens originally committed to Auburn on July 21, 2017, shortly before his junior year at Hoover High School. But he continued to visit other schools, even coming to Athens on an unofficial recruiting visit for last season’s 27-10 win over his then school of choice Auburn.

Later, he received a visit from Georgia coaches in the leadup to National Signing Day. Then, Smart could sense that Pickens was pondering a change.

“He saw the ability to throw the ball at our place and he saw three guys leaving,” Smart said Monday. “Once we had three guys leave our team, two left early and a tight end and a back, it cleared things up for him that he thought he was going to have an impact and decided to come.”

Pickens indeed made the switch, flipping from Auburn to Georgia with his commitment announcement on Feb. 6, 2019 and enrolling at Georgia in June. Shortly after came the catch that put Pickens on the map.

It took place in a team scrimmage in early August. Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett launched a pass in Pickens’ direction down the left sideline. Pickens soared into the air between two defenders, plucking the ball from the air with his right hand and keeping control partially by pinning it on one defender’s back before toppling out of bounds.

“I just was not surprised because I had seen it so many times before,” tight end John FitzPatrick said. “He acts like it’s nothing, and to him it’s nothing because he makes those plays all the time.”

Those eye-popping practice highlights have carried over into the season. Senior receiver Tyler Simmons said once the freshman makes a big play, the rest of the group strives that much harder to match him.

Of course, with the highlights come the celebrations. It’s something he’s become known for on the team and with fans, his enthusiasm and passion oozing out after a big play. His go-to celebration in practice is simple - FitzPatrick said it’s just a drop of the ball and a brisk walk away, making sure everyone saw the play he just made.

Players have expressed that they don’t mind Pickens’ celebrations as long as they don’t draw flags from the officials. They’ve conversed with him about where to draw the line in those moments. But when asked what the freshman brings to the receiver group, Pickens’ passion topped Simmons’ list.

“He is the energy of the receiver room,” Simmons said. “He comes in, he’s always in a pretty good mood and he comes in and he just loves football. He loves the game of football.”

Pickens stayed relatively quiet on the field early in the season. He had his moments, most notably his full-extension diving catch against Murray State, but he also got held catchless in contests against Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

But lately, the freshman has started to emerge, with 20 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns over his last five games. He hauled in a career-high seven receptions against South Carolina, and he had his first career multi-touchdown game last week against Missouri.

“I guess he showed y’all tonight that he is special,” cornerback Tyson Campbell said following that 27-0 win. “He’s just got to keep doing what he’s doing, keep working hard at practice. Y’all are going to see what type of player he really is.”

However, as Smart said after the game, little things continue to hurt Pickens. He had a third touchdown called back after an illegal formation penalty was called due to a misalignment in the formation by the freshman receiver. That mental consistency is where Smart wants to see Pickens grow the most going forward.

“As talented as he is, if he doesn’t have attention to detail, he can hurt the team,” Smart said after the Missouri game. “If he does have attention to detail he can really help the team. He’s got to do those things right.”

Now, Pickens faces his most challenging test both physically and mentally: a date in his home state against the school he was committed to for a year and a half.

Simmons said he has already spoken with Pickens about keeping his emotions in check on the Plains come Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs need him to only help and not hurt the team, especially with top receiver Lawrence Cager battling injuries.

The tilt against Auburn presents a test for Pickens and his maturity level. Will he channel his passion into a stellar performance, or will he let emotions run unchecked and cost his team with mental mistakes?

The Bulldogs are confident it will be the former. Either way, as is always the case with Pickens, it will be exciting to watch.