Georgia football timeline of trouble under Kirby Smart, from Jalen Carter crash to 2025 reckless driving arrests originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
These two things about Kirby Smart and Georgia football can be true.
The Bulldogs are a powerhouse college football program who is a perennial contender to win the national title every year. Smart's ability to recruit the best talent, coupled with his ability to get results on the field, has resulted in two national championship wins and three SEC titles for Georgia since he took over in 2016.
But, Georgia also has massive legal problems off the field.
The SEC team made plenty of headlines over the last couple of seasons for its dominance on the field, but Georgia players have also been in the news for multiple run-ins with the law.
"The incidents that have been happening off the field are not something we condone,” Smart said in July 2024. “It’s very unfortunate. Disappointing, I guess, is the best word."
The Bulldogs program has become synonymous with driving violations, with arguably the most infamous being the one involving Jalen Carter in 2023 that resulted in two deaths.
While Smart is piling up wins on the field, he also is showcasing his inability to keep his players out of trouble with police. There are plenty of incidents over the past few years where Georgia players have been arrested, and charged with various offenses.
Here is a full last of incidents involving Georgia players and the law.
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On Jan. 15, 2023, a fatal speed-racing incident occurred, which involved multiple members of the team staff. Georgia recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy and sophomore offensive lineman Devin Willock were killed in a high-speed crash that involved then-star lineman Jalen Carter.
The current Eagles lineman was reportedly racing one of the cars involved in the incident, and was allegedly going more than 100 mph in Athens. OL Warren McClendon and recruiting analyst Tory Bowles were passengers in the other vehicle with Willock and LeCroy.
Carter was arrested on charges of street racing and reckless driving by Athens-Clarke County Police. He entered a no-contest plea that yielded a sentence of 12 months of probation, $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service and attendance of a state-approved defensive-driving course.
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The freshman offensive lineman was stopped for driving 65 in a 45 mph zone on Feb. 17, 2023. Bah received 12 months of probation, and was ordered to pay a $635 fine, do 40 hours of community service and complete a defensive driving course and traffic violators’ impact program.
On Feb. 21, 2023, junior LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson was arrested for racing and reckless driving. The incident that led to the arrest occurred a month prior on Jan. 10.
He pleaded guilty on April 17 to reckless driving. The racing charge was dismissed.
The sophomore receiver and the freshman defensive end were cited going 81 mph in a 45 mph zone and 93 mph in a 65 mph zone, respectively, in Atlanta on Feb. 23, 2023.
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The freshman defensive lineman and the sophomore running back were cited going 95 mph in a 65 mph zone and 79 mph in a 65 mph zone, respectively, in Atlanta on March 25, 2023.