In Macon, coach Kirby Smart explains what drove Georgia’s 2021 championship team
Seated on the dais of the Methodist Home for Children in Macon eating a dinner of fried pork chops, green beans and wild rice, Kirby Smart prepared to address what would best be described as a home crowd.
The Macon Touchdown Club is comprised of fans of all stripes, from Bulldogs to Tigers to Gators, but Monday night, most members and guests were decked out in red and black.
Two months after leading UGA to its first national championship in more than 40 years, Smart rose to speak to an audience that included Gov. Brian Kemp, Macon Mayor Lester Miller and some of the best high school coaches and players in the state.
But just weeks removed from reaching college football’s mountaintop, in front of hundreds of fans, Smart was not interested in absorbing praise; the 2022 season is already here.
“I tell our players all the time we’re not defending anything,” Smart said. “We have a very simple plan every year: to get the most out of every team that we coach... We have an obligation to continue playing the game the right way.”
He criticized football for a lack of sportsmanship, citing interviews with high school referees who had recently departed the game. He said it was coaches’ responsibility, his responsibility, to instill that discipline in players he said were hungry for it.
“What is discipline? Doing what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to do it, whether someone is watching or not,” Smart said. “If we don’t instill that in our teams, in your young men or young women, we’ll deteriorate. You do that by what you demand of your players.”
Growing leaders
Smart said his 2021 national championship team reflected that philosophy, noting the team was led from within by captains voted on by players the night before the Orange Bowl against Michigan.
Players selected Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis, Zamir White, Jamaree Salyer. Smart said Dean broke a record, getting 115 out of 130 votes for captain.
“When that happened, it told me these guys wanted discipline, because Nakobe Dean was probably the most disciplined guy on our team,” Smart said.
He recounted a story when Dean took notes during a defensive meeting before the SEC Championship Game, which included advice for what to do if Bryce Young looked to the sideline for a call but didn’t move.
“We told him ‘If the quarterback doesn’t move, but just looks over, you don’t look over, we’re not changing the call.’ Sure enough, Bryce Young looked over and snapped the ball,” Smart said. “Our defense was looking over at Coach [Dan] Lanning and Nakobe Dean never moved, and he tackled the back right there.
“Didn’t make a hill of beans, because we got our ass beat that game, but he still earned the respect of so many because of the discipline that he had.”
The 2022 Bulldogs
Smart addressed the 2022 team, noting they’d had three practices and had a long way to go. He said they aren’t where they were in 2021 at this time, but they’re headed in the right direction, with four new assistant coaches energizing the staff.
“I’m very proud that I’m able to be the head coach at the University of Georgia,” he said. “It’s a spot many would like to be at, they don’t understand the pressure it brings, but it’s a position where I honestly believe I have a chance to change young men’s lives by what we do.”
He touched on the name, image and likeness (NIL) changes to the game, as well as the transfer portal, adding NIL money will separate the gap between the haves and have nots.
Smart said he thought it was a good thing players have a chance to earn NIL money, but that college football needs to keep an eye on the impact it could have on money for other sports and facilities.
The transfer portal and NIL’s impact on the game has been significant, but Smart said coaching staffs are learning how to operate with both.
“I only want the people who want to be there. If you’re not interested in working hard, don’t commit to us,” Smart said. “Because we’re going to work, to have discipline, to do things the hard way, because I believe that’s the only way.”
