Three Questions For Kirby Smart
SEC Media Day marks the first real access fans have to their programs since the conclusion of the previous season. Georgia faithful will re-connect with their head coach Kirby Smart this Wednesday when he takes the podium in Atlanta.
Smart answered most questions that pundits peppered him with throughout his early tenure. Critics suggested that he was more recruiter than coach while hinting that his supposed limitations would hinder Georgia from ever climbing the mountaintop.
Others criticized him for what they viewed as a flawed offensive strategy. They frequently discussed his choice to play quarterback Jake Fromm over freshman Justin Fields, correlating the decision with the idea that he lacked innovative offensive vision.
Kirby put all that to bed by leading Georgia to the national championship and ultimately winning the title in 2021. While there aren't many criticisms left of Smart, there are a few questions that fans may want answers to.
What are practices like?
Smart purposefully puts distance between the media and his football team. Beat reporters attending practice are permitted to see small glimpses of what the team is doing, but generally, he waits to really start things up until the media viewing period concludes.
However, even with that mindset, word begins to trickle out. Last season players raved about the daily intensity, with multiple contributors boasting that their practices were more demanding than games.
Many top-end players from the championship team are off to the NFL, meaning there is an entirely new wave of players leading the charge. Without giving too much away, it would be interesting to see how Smart compares last fall's practices to what he’s expecting or seen from his team right now.
How do you feel?
While the question may seem nonsensical at face value, Smart's answer could tell. After all, he just won a national title and has been recruiting well over the past several months; Kirby should be on top of the world.
However, that mindset can lead to complacency. Ask Auburn, Florida, USC, and Miami; all programs that won titles over the past twenty years who failed to continue a run of excellence. What makes Alabama and Clemson great is their ability to continue dominating.
Georgia reached the pinnacle of their sport, but Smart should want more. He has been presented with a golden opportunity to catapult the Bulldogs into the next wave of college football, but he must remain steadfast and consistent in the coming months.
While enjoying the fruits of your labor certainly isn't criminal, now is the time to hunker down and prepare your football team. Early feedback indicates that is precisely what Smart is doing, but it would be interesting to hear it from the head man.
What do you like about the current state of college football?
Coaches will be presented with questions surrounding re-alignment and NIL, all of which will likely receive similar answers. By phrasing it simply, you allow Smart to take the question wherever he wants to.
Influential coaches have more wiggle room when discussing matters of this significance, so Smart potentially could give you a legitimate answer.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban already went public with criticisms over scheduling and NIL this offseason. Smart may lead the answer negatively or maintain an air of positivity.
The danger with this question is that Smart may give a boilerplate answer, such as "the fans, atmosphere, and memories," all of which are great but don't tell us anything new. The likelihood is that Smart has already decided if he will respond to such questions, but the phrasing is the most critical thing when approaching these topics.
The overall wonder is whether or not Smart will do what other SEC coaches have done which is condemn the current system, particularly in recruiting.
