As spring training camps officially kick off, Kirby Smart and the Georgia football team cannot stop the legal issues from arising. Freshman wideout Nitareon “Nitro” Tuggle is the latest player to face potential repercussions following his Thursday morning arrest.
Tuggle, 18, was arrested by the Athens-Clarke County Police on misdemeanor charges of speeding and reckless driving, per Rivals.com affiliate UGASports. He posted bail shortly after the arrest, releasing him within hours.
BREAKING: Georgia wide receiver Nitro Tuggle was arrested this morning by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department on charges of Reckless Driving and Speeding — Maximum Limits. Both are misdemeanors. Tuggle is a rising sophomore. pic.twitter.com/rFcDW2PQ2y
— Lance (@LM_Sports_Media) March 20, 2025
Tuggle is just the latest Bulldog to be involved in a driving-related arrest, a shocking trend following a January 2023 car crash that killed former offensive lineman Devin Willock. Smart has since voiced his disappointment with the statistic by saying the team will further punish players involved in similar incidents.
A former four-star recruit from Northwood High School in Nappanee, Indiana, Tuggle is coming off a modest freshman season. He appeared in eight games for Georgia in 2024, recording a stat in two of them. He ended the season with three catches for 34 yards, most of it coming in a Week 10 game against No. 7-ranked Tennessee.
Though largely ineffective in 2024, Tuggle is one of the team’s top second-year breakout candidates in 2025. Following the departures of star receivers Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith, Tuggle is projected to shoot up the depth chart with a chance to fight for meaningful playing time.
Kirby Smart, Georgia football eye bounce-back season in 2025
Nitro Tuggle’s arrest comes roughly one month ahead of Georgia’s ‘G-Day,’ the program’s moniker for its football spring game. The Bulldogs’ 2025 G-Day is scheduled for April 12 but will not be televised at the request of Smart.
G-Day will be the unofficial start of the team’s journey to a bounce-back season in 2025. While Georgia still made the College Football Playoffs in 2024, the team did not have its typical championship-level aura throughout the season and ended it on a whimper, losing to Notre Dame 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.
Since the end of the 2024 season, Smart and Georgia have dealt with a series of changes. Most notably, quarterback Carson Beck entered the transfer portal and committed to Miami. Smart did not replace him in the portal, giving his backup, Gunner Stockton, a head start on the job entering spring training.
However, with the departures, Georgia will still return key starters Dillon Bell, Nate Frazier and Oscar Delp. They also added former USC wideout Zachariah Branch, one of the top players of the 2024-2025 transfer portal.
The post Georgia football, Kirby Smart already facing problems with ‘rising sophomore’s arrest appeared first on ClutchPoints.
