Georgia football, under Kirby Smart, has seen significant success with two national championships but is also facing serious legal issues involving players, including reckless driving incidents.
Key points
Georgia football has won two national championships under Kirby Smart.
The team has faced multiple legal issues involving players.
Jalen Carter was involved in a notable crash.
Georgia has three SEC titles since Smart took over.
The timeline includes reckless driving arrests in 2025.
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,â Smart said in July 2024. âItâs 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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Jalen Carter speed racing incident
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. OLÂ 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.
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 violatorsâ impact program.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson arrested for racing (February 2023)
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.
DeâNylon Morrissette, Marvin Jones stopped for speeding (February 2023)
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.
Christen Miller, Kendall Milton stopped for speeding (March 2023)
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.
DeâNylon Morrissette arrested for DUI (May 2023)
A week after he was pulled over for going 91 mph in a 55 mph zone, Morrissette was involved in a third driving incident on May 9, 2023. He was arrested for DUI/drugs after hitting another vehicle from behind. He also was charged with driving on a restricted license and too fast for conditions.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint stopped three times for speeding (May 2023)
During his time at Georgia, the wide receiver was involved in three separate speeding incidents. The first occurred May 15, 2023 where he was cited going 60 mph in a 50 mph zone in Coral Springs, Fla. He was stopped a second time in Coral Springs for driving 71 mph in a 40 mph zone May 16, and then a third time May 23 in Athens County for going 90 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was jailed that evening for reckless driving.
The redshirt freshman defensive lineman was stopped for driving 90 mph in a 70 mph zone July 31, 2023. He was then jailed for an outstanding warrant in Athens-Clarke County for failure to appear in court to resolve a handicap-parking violation.
Jarvis Jones arrested for reckless driving (September 2023)
The Georgia player-connection coordinator was arrested on charges for reckless driving and speeding. He was stopped by Athens-Clarke County Police for driving 86 mph in a 40 mph Sept. 1, 2023.
Joenel Aguero, Justyn Rhett cited for racing (February 2024)
The sophomore defensive back and the redshirt freshman defensive back were each cited for driving 59mph in a 40 mph zone Feb. 18, 2024.
David Daniel-Sisavanh charged with reckless driving (February 2024)
The senior defensive back was charged with reckless driving Feb. 24, 2024. The arrest occurred after he reportedly made multiple lane changes at high speed without using blinkers and led police on a pursuit.
Trevor Etienne charged with DUI, reckless driving (March 2024)
On March 24, 2024, the running back was charged with DUI, reckless driving and two other misdemeanors in Athens. He reportedly was drinking in the downtown area before he was pulled over at 1:50 a.m. ET.
Etienne was suspended for one game by Georgia, missing the 2024 season opener against Clemson.
Sacovie White arrested for reckless driving (May 2024)
The freshman wide receiver was arrested and charged with reckless driving and driving the wrong way May 18, 2024. He was pulled over in downtown Athens for traveling at a high speed and was driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street.
Bo Hughley arrested for reckless driving (July 2024)
The redshirt freshman offensive lineman was charged with reckless driving and failure to maintain lane/improper driving following a car accident July 9, 2024.
Smael Mondon, Demello Jones arrested for racing, reckless driving (July 2024)
The senior linebacker and the freshman defensive back were charged with racing and reckless driving July 10, 2024. Mondon was clocked going at least 75 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone.
Rodarius 'Rara' Thomas arrested, dismissed from team (July 2024)
The senior wide receiver was arrested for multiple family-violence charges. Thomas was charged with cruelty to children-family violence, a second-degree felony, and two misdemeanor counts of battery-family violence July 26, 2024.
Daniel Harris arrested for reckless driving (September 2024)
The sophomore cornerback was charged with reckless driving after he was stopped going 106 mph. He also received charges for no proof of insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle, failing to use safety belts and illegal tinting of the windows.
Colbie Young arrested, suspended from team (October 2024)
The senior wide receiver was arrested for a battery and assault misdemeanor on an unborn child on Oct. 8, 2024. He allegedly assaulted his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
A week later, the Georgia football team suspended him indefinitely from the program.
"He's been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved," Smart said. "We can't really comment any further on the specifics of it, but I had a good meeting with him this morning.
"We're committed to continuing to educate our players and do the best job we can of making sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents.
The matter has since been resolved, and Young has suited up for Georgia in the 2025 season.
Marques Easley arrested for reckless driving, suspended from team (March 2025)
The redshirt freshman offensive lineman was charged with three counts of reckless conduct and one count of reckless driving, all misdemeanors.
On Monday, March 17, Easley lost control of his 2021 Dodge Challenger, which began to rotate clockwise and ran off the road before striking a power distribution box, according to a crash report from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Easley was suspended indefinitely from the team on Thursday, March 20. He transferred to Purdue later in the offseason.
Nitro Tuggle arrested for reckless driving, suspended from team (March 2025)
The sophomore wide receiver was charged with misdemeanor speeding and reckless driving after he was arrested on March 19 for going 107 mph.
The police report states Tuggle was going 42 miles over the speed limit and when asked to pull over, he "nearly exited without placing the vehicle in park."
Tuggle was suspended indefinitely from team activities on Thursday, March 20.
Two Georgia commits and one player arrested (July 2025)
In July 2025, Jahzare Jackson (a sophomore offensive lineman) was arrested and charged with felony marijuana possession over one ounce. In his first season with Georgia, Jackson appeared in every game for the Bulldogs.
After the incident, Georgia athletics released a statement saying âwe are aware of the report and will provide no further comment at this time.â
A few days before Jackson's arrest, Seven Cloud, a commit for Georgia's 2026 class, was charged with three misdemeanors in Butler County, Kansas. Along with those charges, he faces two additional misdemeanors, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property, after allegedly destroying the victimâs phone during a dispute.
Another recruit, Chace Calicut, was arrested following a reported violent driving incident in Houston, Texas. Calicut, who committed to Georgia only a few weeks before the incident, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
âNCAA rules restrict public comments about high school recruits and specifically, college coaches are prohibited from publicly commenting on a recruit until after the athlete has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) and an athletic grant-in-aid agreement,â Georgia football said in a statement.
Nyler Daniels arrested on multiple driving charges (November 2025)
On Sunday, Nov. 23, Georgia offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was arrested on four felony and nine misdemeanor charges.
Per dawgnation.com,"The felony charges are fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of second-degree child cruelty and affixing materials that reduce or increase light transmission/reflectance of win. Daniels was charged with nine misdemeanors, including reckless driving, maximum limits, two stop sign and yield sign violations, no-passing zones."
Daniels was a 4-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle from Newark, New Jersey. He appeared in three games in the 2025 season, including Georgia's game on Nov. 22 against Charlotte.
âWe are aware of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,â A Georgia team spokesman said. âThis is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.â
Chris Cole, Darren Ikinnagbon arrested on driving-related charges (February 2026)
Cole and Ikinnagbon were arrested together on Wednesday, Feb. 18, but face separate charges. Cole was booked for reckless driving and speeding-maximum limits, while Ikinnagbon is facing charges of reckless driving, following too closely, and speeding-maximum limits, according to 247 Sports.
Zachariah Branch arrested week before NFL draft (April 2026)
The former Georgia wide receiver was arrested and charged with obstructing public sidewalks/streets - prowling and obstruction of a law enforcement official, according to DawgNation. The incident occurred early in the morning on Sunday, April 19 after he was in Athens to watch Georgiaâs G-Day scrimmage the day before.
