Every Bulldog that comes out of Georgia has great stories to share about Kirby Smart. They all however don't get a platform to share their best story about their former head coach though.
Daylen Everette however had a chance to tell his story and he chose to share the first time he ever felt Smart's wrath in practice.
"I remember there was one time, I think it was my freshman year. We were at fall camp and it was my first time getting reps with the ones and you know, I gave up some plays. And he [Smart] just starts cussing me out on the mic," said Everette via si.com."He's like 'Man you can't guard him? You want to play right? And you can't even do that, what are we doing?' That was the first time he really got on me like bad on the mic."
"I'm not going to lie, I went back to my room that day and probably talked to my mom like, 'Man, I don't know if I want to do this anymore.' But that' just how he is as a coach,” Everette said.
Daylen Everette tells an unforgettable story about Kirby Smart
Everette shared that Smart unloaded on him during one of his first practices at Georgia. He apparently was beat on a few plays in a row, and Smart let him know that he was nowhere near playing well enough. This impacted him so much that he didn't even know if he was going to keep playing football for Smart.
However, everyone knows how his career panned out. He turned into a very reliable prescense in Georgia's secondary capable of making highlight plays at any moment. This led to the best moment of his career (by far) when he picked off Texas twice and won the MVP award during the 2024 SEC Championship game.
Smart likely knew that he was always capable of this, but Everette just needed a little nudge early in his career to help him get going.
Whenever players tell stories about Smart they always follow this same blueprint. Smart challenges them and pushes them to their limit, and that ultimately is what turns them into the best player they can be.
This is just one of many examples of why Smart is the best coach in all of college football.