Georgia football may have that College Football Playoff Championship trophy in Athens, but the Dawgs are already focusing on the future.
There is one word that head coach Kirby Smart refuses to allow in his team’s vocabulary, and that is complacency. After winning a title, some teams feel like they’ve made it and demand respect.
Georgia knows what they did was special, but instead of demanding respect, they are taking this upcoming season and using it as motivation. Not to mention, many people believe the Dawgs are another 2019 LSU moment, and Smart isn’t letting that happen.
The Dawgs would rather have a chip on their shoulder and prove themselves than dwell on the fact they won a national championship in 2021. That mindset will be the key to their success because instead of acting like they are above everyone else, they don’t think anything has changed.
Georgia football will avoid complacency by eliminating it from its vocabulary.
Smart put it best by saying a team has had to achieve something to be complacent, and the guys on the roster right now haven’t done anything. Those defenders who contributed to the Dawgs’ success in 2021 are working out for their new NFL teams across the country. Some are still on this roster, but they even know that it’s a new season. There is no time to look behind them.
"“Complacency is not the concern. Experience is our concern,” Smart said at SEC Media Days. “Our kids will buy into that, and we’ll get them ready in fall camp.”"
These guys know it’s their time to step up and fill the roles of those who left the program. While it’s safe to be confident, there is a difference between that and being complacent. Instead of acting like what happened last year automatically earns them 10-plus wins, they know work has to be put in to achieve more greatness.
It’s almost impossible to repeat back-to-back national championships, but if anyone knows how to do it — Smart does. He ran the 2011 and 2012 defenses for Alabama when they won back-to-back titles. This 2022 squad will have to work twice as hard because the experience isn’t there as it was in 2021.
Smart understands that to be great, and you can never act like you are the best. It’s good practice to remain humble, work your tail off and let the others talk. While they can get complacent from the nonsense TV experts spew, Georgia will continue to work on the things it needs to contend with again in 2022.
Some suggest the Dawgs will come into this 2022 season complacent and looking for praise after ending the drought, but they aren’t. A prime example is them not wearing their national championship rings to SEC Media Days — it wasn’t necessary because 2022 was the topic of discussion, not last year.
This Georgia football program will prove it is not like the rest — just give it time.