Kirby Smart explains what he calls ‘the biggest disease in the state of Georgia’ following UGA’s big season
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The offseason accolades continue to fly in for Kirby Smart’s program following Georgia’s first SEC Championship title under their third-year coach.
After coming within seconds of winning the national championship, Georgia quickly got to work and signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, which ended Alabama’s seven-year reign at the top of the rankings.
The Bulldogs are expected to be a near unanimous pick to win the SEC East this preseason and return to Atlanta in order to defend their SEC championship. While all the accomplishments and accolades are great, Smart is fearful that the attention his team is currently getting could ultimately be their undoing.
Here’s what Smart had to say during a recent appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show when the show’s host asked if he ever reflects on the accomplishments of his UGA program.
“I don’t think you ever digest (your team’s accomplishments). You try and look back when it’s all done and it’s far from done,” Smart said. “We are moving on, we are excited. The biggest disease in the state of Georgia is all the pats on the back and all the accolades. Our players are all being told how great they did. Really, we are trying to focus on next year, trying to grow as a team. We lost a lot of good players. Three first-round picks, first time in the history of Georgia. Replacing those guys is not going to be easy.”
So how does Smart help curb his players from developing an entitled mindset?
“You be a real butthole on the field and coach hard,” Smart said.
You can’t argue with the coach’s method thus far in Athens. It’s worked quite well to this point with the best yet to come — according to the head Dawg.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
