Kirby Smart shares the simple reason he won't leave Georgia
Top college football coaches will always be mentioned for NFL openings. Alabama, arguably the most prestigious job in college football, will one day need a successor for Nick Saban. But sorry, SEC East teams – Kirby Smart won’t be leaving Georgia any time soon.
The coach of the back-to-back division champs returned to Bainbridge Thursday to speak at a fundraiser for his high school alma mater. It was a Bainbridge event, but in the Peach State you know Smart is going to be asked about the Georgia Bulldogs. In the Q&A portion of Smart’s speech at the Bainbridge Country Club, Smart was asked if he’ll ever leave UGA for another job. Dawgs fans will love his answer.
“Why would I leave home?” Smart said to an audience which “erupted with applause and cheers,” per Powell Cobb of The Post Searchlight.
Smart explained that he’s a Bulldog through and through.
“I have more passion and energy in my heart for the University of Georgia than you’ll ever realize,” Smart told the crowd. “Because it did more for me than anything I’ve been to in my life. I had the great fortune of going. Probably would never have gotten there without some of the great people in this room. I assure you, it was what drove me to success.”
To read more on Smart’s Bainbridge speech, Cobb’s full article can be viewed here.
Can’t imagine Kirby leaving UGA anytime soon. Maybe never if he stays successful and does not encounter some unusual life changing event. But then I know him about as well as I know Saban so who knows. UGA fans appear to be set for the next 20 years or so.
Dont forget the people and places that gave you an opportunity. Because UGA wasnt wanting to hire you right out of school.
You should have looked that up before typing. His first job in coaching was at UGA, and then he returned there as an RB coach before going to work for Saban with the Dolphins and then Bama.
He was an admin asst at UGA, not an on-field coach. His first coaching job was DB coach at Valdosta State.
He was attached to the athletic department. He was also hired FT at UGA long before he got to Bama.
We would have to run Kirby off.
We may have to if this losing streak gets any longer.
I bet being made Baker Mayfield’s roommate 6 months after the Rose Bowl at the Cleveland rookie camp was interesting too.
You know its really great how this website changes stories when you log in and you end up putting an answer to the wrong article. Really cheap.
It’s really funny how it keeps happening only to you LOL
That’s great! Even Butch Jones beat Kirby, so Im pretty sure Pruitt will eventually start putting a win streak against Kirby and then we will see what happens. I think GA window is starting to shut.
Pretty sure? UGA has almost as many 5-star recruits in the 2020 class as UT has on the entire football team. Maybe you should start by winning one game before you start talking about streaks. Vandy can teach you about winning streaks..
HEY you figured out that you have to win ONE game to start a streak? You must not really be from GA.
Hey dumbass, when Butch Jones’s vaunted offense beat UGA in 2015 – who was the idiot running UGA’s defense? Do you know who couldn’t defend against simpleton Butch Jones? What was his name again? Oh wait… that’s right it was Jeremy Pruitt. You moron…
So it was Pruitt’s fault that Kirby loss to Butch Jones?? Ha Ha!! Now you are a GA native if you think that
Game was lost on a last second Hail Mary. That’s a defensive breakdown, and Pruitt was responsible for the defense.
Don’t know how else to spell that out.
I will spell it for you. BUTCH BEAT KIRBY!!!
Butch beat Pruitt – your current head coach. You downgraded you dipsh!t. You look dumb now.
What about UGA’s recruiting and on-field performance leads you to the conclusion that the window is starting to shut?
You too must be a GA native if you don’t understand that the window is starting to shut. You will see soon enough!
Well, from my perspective UGA has pulled in historically strong recruiting classes and is not slowing down. They also have a strong coaching staff. UF and UT are on the rise, but I’m not sure that’s resulting in UGA’s window closing (though perhaps it might mean that for South Carolina and Missouri). I guess we will see soon enough.
You are right about the historically strong recruiting classes and I don’t see that continuing if they don’t win a NC soon. That is basically what I meant because UT and FL are on the rise and they will start pulling recruits from GA. Right now GA has had it easy in conference play, and I feel that’s soon going to change.
If UGA’s recruiting momentum does slow down (which I don’t necessarily think will happen on account of not winning NCs), the main recruits that would have gone to Georgia will go to Bama, Clemson, Ohio State, etc. Those are the main schools UGA competes with in recruiting.
In reality the rise of Georgia Tech is likely going to make it much harder for Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina to pull 3 and 4 star players out of Georgia, as their new coach is a heck of a recruiter and should have decent success building the program back up. If Tennessee doesn’t start beating Florida, Georgia, and Bama regularly over the next 3-4 years, UT’s recruiting isn’t going to improve regardless of what happens to UGA.