The Georgia Bulldogs went into overtime in the National Championship Game before losing to Alabama in tough fashion.

However, in Kirby Smart’s second year at the helm of the program, the Dawgs have reached heights they didn’t reach under former coach Mark Richt.

On “The Chuck Oliver Show” last week, former Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said he has been a big fan of Smart’s work (via 247Sports):

“He did inherit some good players,” Spurrier said of Smart. “Then they sort of upped their goals a little bit. Everybody loves Mark Richt but when they made the change, people asked me about it and I said Georgia believes they are better than nine games a year. They’re better than 9-4 and they want to go 10, 11, 12, they want to hit the top. So sometimes you’ve got to make a change like that.”

The Head Ball Coach wanted to make sure he made it clear he wasn’t hating on Richt. In fact, he said, the move has worked out for the best for Richt, too:

“Really I think it was a good move for Mark Richt to get to Miami, too,’ Spurrier said. “I think he’s certainly reinvented himself. He’s down there calling the ball plays, having fun coaching that team, maybe back the way he used to when he first got to Georgia.”

Will the Bulldogs be back in contention for a College Football Playoff spot next year? They lost a lot of talent, but Smart has been working hard on the recruiting trails to make sure there’s no drop off in 2018.