Kirby Smart’s simple interaction with son is best part of ‘Year of the Dawg’

The SEC Network published the “Year of the Dawg,” and like most Georgia football fans, it has gotten watched about 15 times since the premiere. There is nothing quite like reflecting on a national championship season, but when it’s breaking a 41-year drought, fans should enjoy it for a long time.

This program told the story of the 2021 Bulldogs team and how they got to the national championship and won it. While it’s great to see all that, the best part was a small interaction between head coach Kirby Smart and his son Andrew.

It was a quick moment, but one that showed the fanbase who Smart is as a dad. There was a sense of normalcy and even some vulnerability at that moment, so it quickly became my favorite.

Andrew was someone that fans got to know from the sidelines, and seeing how much he cares about Georgia is beautiful to see. That youngster loves to be around his dad but also the players too because there were numerous times he celebrated with them in the locker room.

Kirby Smart and his son Andrew have the best moment from the ‘Year of the Dawg’ documentary.

Those moments are the ones we see, but there is no telling how much more Andrew interacts with the players, and they treat him like one of their own.

Being a coach’s kid has to be fun when they embrace it the way Andrew does, and that is why I love that moment so much. It has something to do with football, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t — just a dad and a son saying I love you before a big game.

Smart’s youngest son loves this team as his dad does, and to see that passion for Georgia football passed down to another generation is incredible. Andrew asked him in the video if he was nervous about that game — Smart embraced him in a hug and told him he loved him and how no matter what, he was his son. The youngster asked his dad again if he was nervous, and Smart quickly said no as Andrew went in the other direction.

That interaction was simple, innocent, and just precious. Smart is a hard-nosed football coach who can seem downright intimidating on the sidelines, but seeing his softer side with his son was great because it shows he really is a human and loves his family.

Some may not agree that this encounter was the best part of the documentary, but it was to me, and it’s moments like that one I hope keep happening for Andrew and Smart.