Georgia has won 117 games since Kirby Smart took over the program in 2016. Nick Tre. Smith / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Feb. 19, 2026 10:23 am EST
ATHENS, Ga. — Two more Georgia football players were arrested on driving-related charges Wednesday night, per the Athens-Clarke County jail log.
Junior linebacker Chris Cole, who was fourth on the team in tackles last season, was booked on one count of reckless driving and one count of speeding over the maximum limit, and sophomore edge Darren Ikinnagbon was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors: reckless driving, speeding and following too closely.
It was unclear if the arrests were connected to the same incident. The players were arrested and released at separate times on Wednesday night, within an hour of each other. The bonds were set at $39 for Ikinnagbon and $26 for Cole.
While misdemeanor traffic charges typically do not lead to additional jail time, the program’s history with driving arrests could lead to harsher internal punishment for Cole and Ikinnagbon.
There have now been 13 known instances of Georgia players being arrested on driving charges since the January 2023 car crash that killed player Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy. Last November, reserve offensive lineman Nyjer Daniels was dismissed from the program after being charged with a felony following a traffic arrest. Last year, receiver Nitro Tuggle and offensive lineman Marques Easley entered the transfer portal shortly after traffic arrests for which they were charged with misdemeanors.
Coach Kirby Smart said he has taken different steps to fix the issues, saying two years ago the program would withhold name, image and likeness payments from players who had traffic arrests or even citations. Suspensions and, in some cases, dismissals have also been issued, especially in the last year.
“Each case is a case-by-case basis,” Smart said last November after dismissing Daniels. “And we’ll always evaluate things on a case-by-case basis, based on the student-athlete’s history and the particulars of the case.”
Feb 19, 2026
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