Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal Makes Jokes About Kirby Smart and Georgia Football

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal made some jokes at the expense of the Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby Smart.

The college football offseason is a time when no action is taking place on the field. Which means, oftentimes, coaches and other players resort to letting their words do the talking. While oftentimes these jabs are often playful. Yet can still rile up college football fans who are looking for any reason to get excited about the upcoming college football season.

The latest coaches to do so were Miami's Mario Cristobal and Georgia's Kirby Smart, who shared some jabs at one another's expense. Earlier this week, Smart made a lighthearted joke implying that the Hurricanes were tampering with Bulldog players.

Cristobal did not take long to respond to Smart's comments, and fired off a fiery response of his own at the expense of Smart, his football program, and the city of Athens.

Mario Cristobal's Comments Towards Kirby Smart

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal listens to questions Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, during the Miami media day at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“We have more than one restaurant in Miami as opposed to Athens,” said Cristobal. "You have to give a guy like Kirby credit. When you have all the time to sit at home watching us play on TV in the playoffs — when you don’t take care of business… You know, but congratulations on the SEC and the championship. That’s awesome. We were 5-0 against the SEC but I don’t know what you were."

Cristobal's comments are regarding quarterback Carson Beck, who spent five seasons with the Bulldogs program before entering the transfer portal ahead of the 2025 season. Beck would go on to lead the Hurricanes to a national championship appearance.

While Cristobal's comments on paper certainly appear to be ill-hearted and brash towards Kirby Smart, the two coaches were colleagues during their time with the Alabama Crimson Tide, and are very likely making friendly jabs at one another as opposed to beginning actual drama.

Smart and Cristobal are not scheduled to face each other in the 2026 regular season. However, the two teams could cross paths should they make the College Football Playoff. If they do, look for these comments to resurface.

Both Georgia and Miami will begin their 2026 seasons in week one. The Bulldogs will host Tennessee State on Saturday, September 5th. The Hurricanes will travel to Stanford on Friday, September 4th. A kickoff time and TV network for both matchups will be announced at a later date.