What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about Muschamp’s departure from South Carolina

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart saw the news of close friend Will Muschamp as it broke Sunday night that he was no longer the head coach at the University of South Carolina.

The Gamecocks tabbed Mike Bobo as interim coach for the remainder of the 2020 season. Bobo is a former Georgia quarterback and formerly the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.

The change impacts those within Smart’s inner circle of the coaching profession.

“It’s part of our business. I respect both of them as coaches and friends,” Smart said. “They know as well as I do, when you get in this profession, that’s a possibility.”

Muschamp was fired in his fifth season as South Carolina’s head coach on Sunday night. The Gamecocks were 2-5 at the time of his dismissal, were coming off of a loss at Ole Miss and allowed 159 points over their last three games. Muschamp built a 28-30 record while at South Carolina.

Muschamp and Smart have built a bond since the 1990s due to their playing days at Georgia in different stints. They coached together at Valdosta State, a Division II program in south Georgia, in 2000.

Bobo previously had a head-coaching stint at Colorado State. Bobo played with Muschamp and Smart at different points as a player at Georgia.

Bobo will coach against Georgia for the first time since coaching with the Bulldogs from 2001-2014. Georgia travels to Columbia to face the Gamecocks on Nov. 28.

Smart’s relationship with the Muschamp family continues. Will Muschamp’s son, Jackson, is a preferred walk-on quarterback for the Bulldogs. He signed with the program in February and is a freshman.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 12:26 PM.