Georgia Football: How hiring Kirby Smart made UGA a champion
By Mike Stowe
‘The Decision’ has worked out:
The decision to fire Richt and hire a defensive coordinator from Alabama was a controversial one, to say the least. Some wondered if a job as big and prestigious as the head coach of UGA was too much to handle for a coordinator like Smart. As great of a man as Mark Richt was though, I never understood some people’s fears about Smart. Richt was a great ambassador for UGA, but he hadn’t won the SEC in 10 years. Some also forget that Richt himself was ‘only’ an offensive coordinator when he was hired.
It’s probably safe to say now, that this move has worked out. A 12-1 season and the SEC championship will do that for a coach. UGA’s first CFP berth doesn’t hurt either. I felt it was the right move from Day 1. UGA was already a program that got good recruits, but it’s now a true recruiting juggernaut under Smart. This season, however, Smart has proven himself to be more than a good recruiter.
We just saw at Tennessee and Butch Jones, that it takes more than a good recruiter to really win in the SEC. Kirby has built a stable of talented coaches who have made his players better. He has created strong gameplans and instilled a culture of hard work. There has clearly been a change since Smart arrived.
The turnaround that has been seen in the Georgia football program has been a true joy to watch. Many people who believed that this type of success was coming under Smart, myself included, thought that they wouldn’t reach this level of greatness until 2018 or maybe even 2019. But this season shows that the Dawgs are a year ahead of schedule with him at the helm.