One could make the argument that Kirby Smart has Steve Spurrier to thank for his new head coaching gig at Georgia.

The SEC coaching legend decided to end his tenure at South Carolina during the middle of the 2015 season, giving the Gamecocks administration a jump on the competition to find his replacement.

That put Georgia alum and then Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart high on their list of people to consider for the position.

We all know how the story ends, and that’s with Mark Richt being ousted in favor of hiring Smart, which ultimately blocked a rival from potentially grabbing the guy that Georgia had its eyes on for its next coach.

But does that all happen if Spurrier sticks things out and South Carolina doesn’t appear as an imminent threat to swoop in and claim Smart?

In a recent interview, which was quoted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Seth Emerson, Spurrier was asked about the decision made by Georgia.

Here’s his response:

“I’m not shocked at a lot of things that happen,” Spurrier said in an interview. “Georgia has been very good. But maybe not as great as their fans think they should be. Nine, 10 wins almost every year. I think they want that 11, 12, 13 now. So it’s one of those jobs where the expectations are higher than at most schools. So I could sorta understand it.

“Although I’m glad Mark got the job at Miami. Maybe he can get them back to where they used to be. Time will tell.”