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Kirby Smart expresses respect for Brock Vandagriff’s handling of Georgia exit
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kirby Smart is getting ready to lead Georgia into its first road game of the season vs. Kentucky. That matchup will also pit Smart’s Bulldogs against a former member of the program in quarterback Brock Vandagriff.
Vandagriff originally joined Georgia as a 5-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. After sitting behind Stetson Bennett, Vandagriff lost the 2023 QB battle to Carson Beck and would ultimately enter the transfer portal after the 2023 season.
In a recent interview for ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Smart was asked about Vandagriff’s exit from Athens. The head coach described it as “lighthearted” and “professional” and said Vandagriff made it clear that he was planning on looking elsewhere if Beck came back for the 2024 season.
“It was very lighthearted. He understood and had already told us that if Carson was coming back, he was probably going to play somewhere else,” Smart explained. “He was very professional about it. He was very emotional because he loves Georgia. He graduated from Georgia, he won 2 national championships at Georgia. He made Georgia better, he left it better than he found.”
Smart also said he focused on not making things more difficult on Vandagriff:
“I didn’t want it to be difficult for him. When he sat in front of me in my office, I told him I loved him. I told him he had done a tremendous job,” recalled Smart. “He told me he appreciated everything we had done for him… but he needed to try and go play. That was just a mutual respect we had for each other.”
While Vandagriff is now getting his shot at Kentucky, it has been a rocky start to the season. After throwing for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns in the season opener, Vandagriff struggled against a tough South Carolina defense while finishing 3-for-10 for 30 yards and an interception.
We’ll see how the two sides fare when they square off on Saturday.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
