Why Kirby Smart's Run at Georgia Should be Admired
Roughly seven years ago, the University of Georgia decided to move on from former head coach Mark Richt to seek out a new face to represent the program. That decision then transpired into the hiring of former Georgia player and at the time Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.
Since then, Georgia has quickly risen to the top of college football. The Bulldogs have won five division titles, a conference championship, appeared in two national title games and were crowned national champions a season ago. Smart currently holds an overall record of 77-15 and is 48-9 within conference play. His team is also just one win away from posting the program's second straight undefeated regular season which would be a first in program history.
Clearly Smart has accomplished a lot in just seven seasons at Georgia. He was brought to Athens to help elevate the program and to make that next step. His accomplishments alone are admired by many, but what makes his run at Georgia even more impressive is the amount of change he has had to endure and adapt to over the past seven seasons.
One of the first hurdles Smart had to maneuver around was the transfer portal being introduced. Players have always had the privilege of switching schools, but the transfer portal provided a lot more freedom as a transfer. They could enter the portal at any point in time which allowed them to begin discussions with other programs around the country and teams were also provided the ability to fill roster gaps with experienced college football players as opposed to a high school athlete fresh off the trail that may not be ready until maybe a season or two.
The introduction of the transfer portal also meant roster management now became a huge factor. Teams had to make sure they had room on their roster to take in transfers on top of bringing in a new recruiting class as well. The same goes for players that choose to leave and ensure those spots will be filled. These changes never halted Smart's success though.
Just as programs were getting accustomed to the portal, NIL was then introduced. Players having the ability to capitalize off of their name, image and likeness aren't necessarily difficult for a head coach to get used to but the way it affected the recruiting process certainly was a big change.
Smart came out of the gates swinging on the recruiting trail when he got to Georgia and quickly asserted himself as one of the best in the business as he has consistently brought in top three classes every single cycle. NIL then provided new challenges and the approach programs had to take when trying to make a pitch for a recruit to select their school. It didn't deter Smart's success on the trail though as he brought in another top class in 2022 and is on the verge of finishing with another one this next year as well.
Another roadblock that Smart had to wiggle his way around was figuring out how to take down the top dog. The Alabama Crimson Tide. Nick Saban is labeled as one of the greatest to ever do it and built a dominant dynasty and prior to defeating them in the national championship, Smart struggled to overcome the Tide. It wasn't until his fifth time going up against Saban that Smart finally earned his first victory against his former boss and on the biggest stage in the sport nonetheless.
Saban went through his own growing pains while building up Alabama, but he never had to go through the process of figuring out how to beat the greatest head coach of all time.
Through all of the changes, all of the obstacles that stood in his way, nothing seemed to phase Smart. It's how his team currently sits with the number one ranking, the favorite to win the national championship this season and never showed any type of dropoff despite losing 15 players to the draft.
Smart bringing perennial success to Georgia is impressive by itself. But taking into account the amount of change Smart has had to overcome as a head coach and his willingness to adapt to the ever-changing climate of college football is what really sets him apart from the rest of the pack and what had made his run at Georgia so admirable. And that shouldn't go unnoticed.
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