SAVANNAH – Here in late summer, when Nolan Sental Smith, Georgia’s multipurpose linebacker, returned home for a promotion for the Boys and Girls Club, he was introduced to Uga X, the Georgia mascot, widely proclaimed by Sports Illustrated as the No. 1 mascot in the nation.
Although the accomplished linebacker—one distinguished in the classroom as well as in competition—was familiar with the heralded mascot, he had never spent time with the all-white male English bulldog which the Frank Wilkins Seiler family has maintained and coddled for well over a half-century, he had never enjoyed a closeup and personal experience with Uga.