Kirby Smart sees different Florida team under Dan Mullen
A little more than a week before Georgia and Florida will meet in Jacksonville, Georgia coach Kirby Smart offered some of his first extended in-season comments about the Gators.
On Wednesday’s SEC Media Teleconference, Smart said he Florida is athletic on defense, has great coverage guys, huge on the defensive line and the Gators brought in wide receivers.
“Those are added dimensions, and that’s on top of the guys they had,” Smart said. “The backfield, I’m sure Dan is pleased there. The turnaround is no shock to me.”
Smart also sees improvement in Florida QB Feleipe Franks, as he’s gotten better with more experience.
“He is protecting the ball, has better playmakers,” Smart said. “When you have an arsenal like that, plus the run game, it makes you a weapon.”
Looking to improve at midseason and following the LSU loss, Smart said the Bulldogs need to improve tackling in practice.
“We monitor how many snaps we get so we don’t overwork anyone but the only way to do it is to go out there and do it,” he said. We have to get bigger when we tackle.”
Smart said OT Andrew Thomas is still battling an injury and is not 100 percent, though some assume that’s the case. Thomas was “rolled up on” during the LSU game, but continues to be a leader, Smart said.
On the offensive line as a whole, Smart said he evaluates every day to improve.
“We have some guys that have done well, some guys that have struggled,” he said. “Our freshmen struggle at times, there are some great pass rushers in this league … we have to be able to get the ball out quicker when that happens.”
Smart was asked about what he utilizes from Nick Saban from his time working with the Alabama coach. Smart said there are similarities with day-to-day operations, but not much is different than other schools.
“The message and physical development may vary but what we do here isn’t that much different, it’s about what you do and the attitude you do while you do it,” Smart said.
Smart added that Saban is a great leader of men, and his strength is his ability to organize and demand excellence.
“It works sometimes and it hasn’t others,” Smart said. More important, can you recruit, that’s key?”
If Georgia loses to Felipe Franks next week what’s gonna happen when we get a real QB? It’s time for the most delusional fans in the SEC to get a grip and realize you aren’t what you thought you were.
I would consider Franks a real QB. He’s only a Sophomore and looks better every game, I’m sure he’ll look eons better next year. I appreciate the normal UGA trash talk, but don’t kill your own QB in the process. Sheesh.
He’s a loser, disregard him. Should be a good game, but UGA will come out on top.
haha if i’m a loser what does that make you? Gotta love the arrogance of a toothless bulldog fan…. gonna be real sad in your trailer park come next Saturday evening
You are just as clueless as most Georgia fans
I see it. I think a few more see it after last seek.
Give us time.
UGA can be beat without a “real QB”, I would say though Franks is a talented QB. Needs more time. Treon Harris went 2-0 against Georgia. Beating Georgia will be about the run game. Run baby run!
UGA isn’t locked into this exact roster and their respective abilities in perpetuity. If UGA loses to Florida this year, there will be new rosters and new abilities in future years. You call UGA fans delusional, yet you’re implicitly assuming the 2018 UGA football team has reach maximum overall program potential and that with a better QB Florida is magically going to continue to ascend over a stagnant and maxed-out Georgia.
News flash: UGA is over 65% freshman and sophomores (the no. 1 and 3 ranked recruiting classes, respectively) this year. Next year those 2 top-3 classes will be sophomores and juniors, with another top-3 recruiting class as freshman. 2018 is a reloading year and the 2019 team will most likely be far better and more experienced. Florida might get lucky this year, but will continue to have more than their hands full playing UGA in future years, regardless of who the QB is. Smart has seen Mullen’s offenses for a decade, with Prescott, Fitz and others, and will be very ready.
If Florida beats UGA it won’t be due to luck. But I agree with everything else, Florida is WAAAAAAAAAYYYY behind UGA in terms of talent and quality depth. If we can’t keep up in recruiting we won’t look forward to this game much longer. UGA will be much better next year when all that talent develops.
Historically, no team has done less with more than UGA. It was certainly true of every UGA coach after Dooley retired. Whether CKS will be the same or different with the talent he has is yet to be determined.
What?
No UGA coach has ever come remotely close to the kind of recruiting CKS is capable of. These are uncharted waters for Georgia, so history is probably a poor indicator.
It would be interesting to hear these coaches deal with the challenging personalities all programs see from time to time. Let’s get the offices of the enforcers bugged. That would make for some great reality TV.