Kirby Smart reveals what nearly drove him to quit before 2021 season

Before the 2021 season, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart revealed that he nearly quit coaching.

While speaking at the THSCA Coaching School, Smart said that he was ready to step down and leave Georgia. Smart felt an urge to stop coaching after a grueling schedule in June 2021. He was asked by a high school coach about the balance coaches have between their personal lives and work (Via FootballScoop):

“I was ready to step down and resign. I was done,” Smart said.

Kirby Smart: "I was ready to step down and resign. I was done." https://t.co/M1l61O4FJW

— Doug Samuels (@CoachSamz) July 19, 2022

Smart felt tired after a full month of hosting and recruiting players to Georgia. At that point, Smart was approaching his sixth season as Georgia’s head coach. To combat the feeling of fatigue, Smart scheduled every Monday in June as an off day to allow the coaches to be energized.

As a result of last June, Kirby Smart this year scheduled each June Monday as an off day so his coaches could recharge. Also asked coaches not to come in on Friday mornings, and wait until afternoons so they could be energized for recruits on Friday nights. He said it helped.

— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) July 19, 2022

Here is the full answer from Kirby Smart after he was asked about the existence of a healthy work/life balance in college football: pic.twitter.com/nlO1SGdzDl

— Sam Khan Jr. (@skhanjr) July 19, 2022

Thankfully for Smart and Georgia, he decided to stay for the 2021 season, which resulted in a national championship. That was Georgia’s first national championship in 41 years.

Smart’s comments opened up the reality of recruiting and working that coaches go through each year. For Smart, it was a grind that nearly forced him to take a break. After 13 months, it seems as if Smart has figured out how to manage his time and not feel burnout.