Kirby Smart executing his blueprint for Georgia Football

Since taking over the Georgia Football team in 2016, Kirby Smart has massively changed the way the program works and this past weekend, we saw the results.

If the is one thing that Kirby Smart has preached since he arrived in Athens, it’s changing the culture. To a lot of people, that’s centered around the product that Georgia Football puts on the field in the Autumn. But there is, in fact, a lot more to it and Smart’s fingerprints are all over the program.

While he doesn’t deserve all the credit, it’s hard not to see the changes that have happened since Smart arrived. We’ve got the indoor practice facility and the new West end Project. That’s nearly $100 million worth of investment made into football in less than 3 years.

Then there’s the coaching staff. UGA’s board of governors approved a big increase in the budget for the football team this past year. A lot of that went to the coaching staff that was richly rewarded with raises. That helped keep most of the staff together which is exactly what Kirby Smart wanted.

But it’s more than just salaries. Few schools out there are investing more money into their student-athletes as Georgia. Whether it’s dental care, councilling, mentorship and networking, UGA is really stepping up to provide its athletes with more than ever before.

Kirby Smart’s tweet above is something else to bear in mind. UGA alumni are getting more and more involved. Smart and his staff are spending time getting more members to be active, not only through monetary donations but also through time.

The Magill Society has contributed a huge amount of finance to the football team recently. They have been richly rewarded so far both on and off the field. New facilities have been built and recruits are committing. The 2017 team was a blown coverage away from a national championship and the future looks increasingly bright.

In the center of all of this is Kirby Smart. One thing he seems to have learned from Nick Saban is that his role is about more than just finding and coaching up players. As Chip Towers from Dawgnation wrote the other day, Smart looks at the football program like as CEO does his business. He sees all the different things that he needs to do to build the kind of first-rate organization that he wants and he clearly has a plan that he’s executing.

It’s that kind of vision that separates Smart from a lot of coaches. I’ve gone on record a couple of times about how funny I find it when people compare Smart for new Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Kirby is so much more than just an X’s and O’s guy and he’s doing a whole lot of work off the field to build a dynasty in Athens.

I’ve yet to see any evidence that Pruitt or any other coach in the SEC other than Nick Saban has this same big picture mindset. It’s why Dawg fans can continue to feel good about this program. Smart isn’t going to be like Mark Richt, who was a decent man and coach but was never quite as focused as his successor.

The future is bright in Athens not just because Kirby Smart is good at coaching. It’s bright because of what he’s building throughout the University both on and off the field. For a long time, UGA has been described by many as a sleeping giant. With Smart helping to wake that giant up, the rest of college football has a lot to worry about for the foreseeable future.