Kirby Smart shares emotional postgame moment with Brock Vandagriff, Jamon Johnson

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made sure to seek out two of his former players, Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Johnson, following the Bulldogs' 13-12 win over Kentucky on Saturday night.

Smart shared an emotional moment with both of them on the field before heading to the locker room.

"I love those kids. Those kids were tremendous for our program," Smart said of the two after the game. "I mean, we probably don't win two national championships back-to-back without those two guys. I mean, Brock did all kinds of things to help our team, scout team. He was a competitor. I mean, the guy cried in my office when he told me he had to leave. It ate away at him, and I'm really happy for him.

"And Pop as well. Pop and I had a great relationship, and we were fiery with each other at times, but he was also a tremendous leader, and I just respect Pop."

Vandagriff spent three seasons at Georgia after committing to them as a five-star quarterback prospect in 2020. But after spending his time in a reserve role behind Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck, he made the tough decision to transfer to Kentucky in 2023. As a Bulldog, Vandagriff saw action in 13 games with no starts, completing 12 of 21 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson, a former two-year starter for Georgia transferred to Kentucky at the same time as Vandagriff. He played a pivotal role for the Dawgs in 2022, posting 70 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and four sacks as Georgia went on to win their second straight national championship.

The two former Bulldogs put up a good fight against their old team at Kroger Field.

Vandagriff completed 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards while Johnson logged three tackles in the Wildcats' loss that came down to the wire.

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