He came very close to defeating his former boss in the College Football Playoff National Championship meeting last season, but Kirby Smart is excited about what he has at the University of Georgia in the fall.
The third-year head coach took the podium on Tuesday at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta with a lot of confidence, in terms of the program putting 2017 behind it. Since the loss to Alabama, Smart and the Bulldogs have dealt with seeing highlights of Tua Tagovailoa’s pass to Devonta Smith all offseason.
Regardless of losing much leadership to the National Football League, the returns of Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and Isaac Nauta on offense is great for play caller, Jim Chaney.
Replacing studs like Roquan Smith, Dominick Sanders, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy will be difficult; however, Smart told the press at Southeastern Conference media days that Georgia is over what happened last season.
“We’re on to the next year,” Smart said. “We are on to the next recruit. We are on to the next strategy, whether tactical, medical or physical. We are constantly looking for the next edge to get the next edge for next year. It’s something we don’t have to rehash all of the time.”
Upon him accepting the job at Georgia in 2016, Smart’s idea was to take Nick Saban’s “The Process” at Alabama and make it more productive. In using a term from his mentor, the former Crimson Tide defensive coordinator (2008-15) said the Bulldogs “must be able to finish” when it gets on a big stage.
Although summer training has been strong, Georgia knows the expectations for the upcoming season. While multiple college football analysts have them penciled in as winners of the SEC, the Bulldog fanbase wants something it has not seen since 1980: a national championship. Saban’s third year in Tuscaloosa finished with the Tide being kings of the game and for fans in Athens (Ga.), they view Smart as a younger, more refined version of Saban.
The pressure is on for Smart and the Dawgs.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
