"At Its Best": Georgia Is Remembering The Good Of New Orleans, Reflecting On Last Year's Terror Attack

NEW ORLEANS — Nearly one year ago, while locals and tourists were enjoying the festivities around a New Year's Eve celebration, a man drove his pickup truck into a crowded area on Bourbon Street and killed fourteen people in a devastating terrorist attack. 

As Notre Dame and Georgia fans celebrated the start of the new year alongside locals in the French Quarter area, both football teams were asleep in their hotel rooms preparing for a playoff game that was scheduled to kickoff on that Thursday night. 

Reporters sprung from their beds, or the local hotel bar, to find out what exactly was going on just two blocks from the start of the incident. Players were either awakened from their sleep, or found out hours later. 

At that moment, football reporters turned into news gatherers, trying to wrap their brains around what had just occurred, looking for some type of answers as law enforcement conversed into the area. 

Sugar Bowl Postponed To Thursday After Deadly Terrorist Attack In New Orleans

On that morning, everything changed. This was no longer about covering the Bulldogs or the Fighting Irish, while two football teams were awakened to phone calls and text messages from loved ones checking to see if they were all OK. 

"Honestly, when I woke up that morning, I had a whole bunch of texts with people asking if I was OK and good," Georgia's Daylen Everette mentioned. "So I was like ‘What Happened?’ That’s when I opened my phone and saw everything that went down. First thing I did was text my family and wanted to make sure they were OK. It was a crazy event. Really unfortunate."

The entire day, and following days, shifted towards the well-being of those injured, along with comforting the ones who passed away on that night of what was supposed to be a celebration. 

Georgia fans walk past law enforcement outside the Caesars Superdome prior to the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Georgia Returns To New Orleans For Sugar Bowl, One Year Later

For the first time since the horrifying terror attack, the Georgia Bulldogs returned as a team to New Orleans on Monday night in preparation for their game against the Ole Miss Rebels in the college football playoff quarterfinals. 

They would drive right by the street where it all started this time last year. Same town, same game, same ramifications for the outcome. While plenty on the roster have tried to block certain memories of that night, it's obviously hard to escape, as Daylen Everette described that morning. 

"I remember first leaving the hotel, we still went to the Superdome for like a walkthrough. First thing I remember is walking out of the hotel room and seeing all the police. There were police everywhere on bikes, horses, it was just crazy." 

Working alongside the FBI and other law enforcement officials, the Sugar Bowl committee was forced to move its game until the next day, as crime scene investigators did their job in collecting evidence, while security officials had to make sure the city was safe from a potential second attack. 

Law enforcement officers patrol the exterior of the Caesars Superdome prior to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Nothing about this New Year's was normal, including the football game. There was a thought process of potentially moving the game back even further, as fans gathered around hotel lobbies to either extend their stay or get out of town in the quickest way possible. 

For players on both teams, sticking with some type of schedule was important, along with trying to avoid the televisions that were airing coverage of a terrorist attack that occurred just blocks away. 

The game would end up being moved to 3 p.m. on Thursday, largely based on the fact that two improvised explosive devices were found near the scene around the French Quarter area. 

"It was definitely nerve-wracking," KJ Bolden recalled. "I would say I found out that night, but I kinda went to sleep on it. I kinda didn't believe it. But went I woke up that morning checking my phone and seeing all the news going around. You just feel sorry for those who lost their loved ones. It was just definitely scary for sure. 

"I just knew we were going to be protected in the hotel due to all the security, so I wasn't worried about that."

Sugar Bowl Honors Those Killed And Injured In New Orleans Terrorist Attack, 'USA' Chant Breaks Out

What started out as a week in New Orleans to decide which team would advance to the CFP semifinals quickly turned into a football game that would be dedicated to the city, and those who were no longer with us, with plenty more still in a hospital recovering from their injuries. 

But, returning to New Orleans one year later, with an opportunity to reflect on what transpired, multiple players mentioned that they were excited about being a part of this game once again, along with remembering New Orleans for the city that it is, as Daylen Everettee described. 

"That would be a good way to remember it, New Orleans at its best. I wouldn't say people are scared to be back. Things like that happen, I feel safe, and I feel like my teammates feel safe."

Kirby Smart Feeling All Types Of Emotions Back In Nola

The Georgia head coach certainly has his team focused on the task at hand, though he did take a few moments to reflect when he arrived in New Orleans on Monday evening. 

Last year, not only was he dealing with the circumstances surrounding the events on Bourbon Street, but he was also thinking of his father, who had suffered a fall prior to the Sugar Bowl game. 

Sonny Smart passed away just over 24 hours after Georgia lost to Notre Dame due to complications from hip surgery. This would end up being a trip that Kirby would not forget, but for all sorts of different reasons. 

"The last time I was here, I was just leaving two to three days after the game with my family. It was different, it was a different mood, a different time. Very different frame of mind. You can't help but think about the last time I was here, what I was going through. 

"I was going to a funeral home, and going to meet with people I had never met with, and it was a very unique experience. But, that's not what this trip is about. It was a terrible time in this city. Unfortunately, people lost their lives during that event and it was a horrific deal. It changed everything in this city, and really the celebration of New Year's."

Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs on the field before the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal game. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

But, the opportunity to be back in this town, with so much at stake, brings a different challenge to this Georgia team. 

"Our guys are excited to be back, and excited about the opportunity to play in one of the best events. An all-SEC matchup in the Sugar Bowl."

The ones lost on that morning will never be forgotten, and neither were the events that followed in the aftermath. 

As a memorial hangs above the French Quarter streets, the City of New Orleans is doing its best to recreate that celebratory mood, while also not forgetting the ones who lost their lives on the tragic day last January.