D.J. Shockley said hiring Kirby Smart eases the pain of Mark Richt's firing

ATHENS — When Mark Richt took over as Georgia’s head coach in late December of 2000, the first recruiting phone call he made was to the No. 1 quarterback in the state, D.J. Shockley.

From there, Shockley went down as Richt’s first recruit, giving them a bond which lasted throughout the 15 years Richt coached at Georgia. So it’s no surprise that Shockley was a bit upset to learn the man who recruited him to Georgia was fired this past Sunday.

“It was tough when I first heard the news,” Shockley said. “A little disappointed, a little angry. I had different emotions. He’s a guy who has done so much for me and for the university and other guys that came in under him. It’s tough to see a guy so consistent — and I know who didn’t win the big game everyone wanted — but I thought they would give him at least another year to figure it out. It was a little disappointing.”

But for Shockley, and possibly for other former Georgia players, Kirby Smart’s apparent hiring has lessened the anger resulting from Richt’s ouster.

Smart played at Georgia from 1995-98 and coached running backs under Richt in 2005. Shockley was Georgia’s starting quarterback in 2005 and got to know Smart that season, even though Smart didn’t coach his position.

There were quite a few traits that stood out to Shockley. Shockley said Smart has a fiery personality and will wear his emotions on his sleeve. Smart paid close attention to each detail when working at bettering his position group.

“When he taught his running backs, he wanted them to learn everything,” Shockley said. “That goes hand in hand with him becoming a head coach. He’s going to have a lot of roles. When he teaches the players, they’re going to have to know everything that’s going on. That goes a long ways, being accountable to everything that’s on the field.”

In 2005, Georgia won the SEC championship with Smart on the staff. Smart coached a running back stable consisting of Thomas Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin, who combined to run for 1,563 yards and eight touchdowns.

After coaching on Nick Saban’s Miami Dolphins staff in 2006, Smart followed his boss to Alabama in 2007 and became the Crimson Tide’s defensive backs coach. A year later, he was promoted to defensive coordinator.

With many fans upset over Richt’s firing, Shockley said bridging the gap with a former Georgia player and coach such as Smart was important for the program.

“When looking at the Michigan head coaching search, they needed a Michigan guy,” Shockley said, referring to Michigan hiring Jim Harbaugh last offseason. “At Georgia, they need someone who understands the tradition and what it means to wear the ‘G.’ They’re going to have a different outlook on it because they know how special it is to play at Georgia.”

Shockley said he contacted Richt shortly after his exit news conference on Monday. Shockley said Richt is in good spirits as he decides whether to continue coaching or look at other opportunities in the near future.

Now that a new chapter at Georgia is beginning, Shockley said he’s looking forward to seeing what Smart will bring to the program. But the memories he’ll have of Georgia being Richt’s team are everlasting.

“My love and loyalty is with Coach Richt,” Shockley said. “Fifteen years there, it’s something you just don’t forget about. Having a guy like Kirby who played at Georgia, who understands it, it kind of softens the landing a little bit of a new coach coming in. It makes it a little easier and I know what he’s about. It softens the blow, but you never forget what Coach Richt has done.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 10:09 PM with the headline "D.J. Shockley said hiring Kirby Smart eases the pain of Mark Richt's firing ."