What We Will Learn About Kirby Smart this Spring

Spring practice is a very valuable point in the offseason for programs to learn a lot about what they have on their rosters heading into the new season. But it's also a great time to learn about coaches as well. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is headed into his eighth season with the Bulldogs, but there are still things to learn about the head man.

Georgia is coming off of back-to-back titles and appears to be in good standing to push for a third. Before the focus solely turns to the 2023 regular season though, the Bulldogs will need to make it through Spring practice. So what will we learn about Smart as he heads into another season as Georgia's head coach?

Not Who, But What?

One of the more prominent talking points of this offseason for Georgia is who the starting quarterback will be when Fall rolls around. But perhaps the better question to ask is not who the starter will be, but what do they look like? For the first time in Smart's career as a head coach, Georgia will trot out a quarterback that more than likely has spent multiple seasons waiting their turn. Jacob Eason started as a true freshman in 2016, Jake Fromm took over as a true freshman in 2017 after Eason's injury, in 2020 it was D'Wan Mathis then Bennett and then JT Daniels, and in 2021 it was Daniels to start until Bennett ultimately regained his starting role for the foreseeable future.

Carson Beck looks to be the front-runner with Brock Vandagriff right behind him. Regardless of who comes out on top, Georgia will be trotting out a starter that has very little experience but has spent plenty of time learning the position and developing in practice. There's plenty of talent at quarterback for Georgia, but what does two or three years of development look like for those guys behind the scenes?

What Is the Why?

For the first six seasons of Smart's head coaching career, a major piece of motivation for his team was ending the national title drought. The following year, it was all about Georgia "not being hunted" and proving that the first national title was by no means a look and that the Bulldogs were here to stay. So what is the "why" in 2023?

Outside of the true freshman and the transfers that Georgia attained in the offseason this year, every player on Georgia's roster has a national title to their name, some even have multiple. Smart has a knack for keeping his players locked in and focused on the main goal that is placed before them, but that probably looks different after two national titles. How Smart keeps his team hungry is something to watch this Spring.

Can the Offense Keep Rolling?

Up until Todd Monken rolled into town, Georgia struggled to find consistent offensive success under Smart. Now with Monken off to the Baltimore Ravens and Mike Bobo earning the promotion to offensive coordinator, can the offensive success continue? The Bulldogs will not be giving their offense a facelift, but when a new coordinator comes into the position, some sort of change is inevitable.

Georgia's defense has been the anchor of this team, but the offense played a large part in those two national titles as well. Bobo carries a lot of experience with him and has an absurd amount of talent to work with on offense, but it will be interesting to see how it looks when G-Day arrives and how they perform in the upcoming season.

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