Butting in: 'Kirb' your enthusiasm, at least for now

ATHENS -- It's the first Wednesday in February, and Georgia already has won the national championship.

Sure, the actual game following the semifinals is 11 months away. But with what's returning and with who is arriving, Georgia is once again the team to reckon with in the SEC East. And have you seen the freshman quarterback? The mighty 18-year-old Jacob Eason from Lake Stevens, Washington -- the Gatorade national player of the year and potential Heisman Trophy hopeful -- is the best quarterback the Bulldogs have seen since ... OK, well, Aaron Murray.

It's not out of the question to assume with Eason, sophomore receiver Terry Godwin and junior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel that Georgia's offense will be as potent as the punch at a party hosted by Steve Sarkisian -- especially now that Brian Schottenheimer is no longer around to ruin things. Oh, and with Sam Pittman coaching the offensive line, you can expect those behind a group that had to realign itself at midseason to suddenly be dominant. It's not a belief, that's a fact.

There's not a chance Georgia can move backward on defense either. OK, so Jordan Jenkins, Leonard Floyd, Jake Ganus, Sterling Bailey and Chris Mayes are all gone. So what? Smart's a defensive genius and will ensure the backups are just as ready as the five-star players he had at Alabama. Those discounting what Georgia can do in 2016 are insane.

...

It's April 16, 2016 and the G-Day game just wrapped up. Did you see Eason out there? Yes, he missed a few passes, but man, what an arm. And it sure looks like Brice Ramsey can be formidable backup for Eason. Finally, Georgia has a coaching staff that gets it. While Smart continues to stress it's an open competition at quarterback, there's just no way this stud freshman doesn't play.

And man, the running back talent is as good as when Todd Gurley was bouncing off tacklers between the hedges. Perhaps this coaching staff will finally play A.J. Turman, considering how talented a runner he is.

Godwin is amazing, Michael Chigbu is amazing, and so were Jayson Stanley and Isaiah McKenzie. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney definitely will use McKenzie much better than Schottenheimer or Mike Bobo ever did. I mean, Chaney coached Drew Brees, after all.

The first-team defense made the second-teamers look foolish, and everyone knows what kind of talent the Bulldogs have on their two-deep. It's shaping up to be an incredible year -- perhaps 1980 all over again.

...

It's mid-August, and these reports about a legitimate quarterback battle are not accurate. I won't believe it. It shouldn't matter if Eason is a true freshman or not. He needs to play. There's no doubt that he can step in and win a national championship and Heisman Trophy now. He's that kind of talent. I don't care if the graduate transfer has outplayed the rest of the quarterbacks and has a ton of game experience. Play Eason.

And where is Chubb? How come he's not back yet? He better be ready for the season opener. If not, the training staff has some explaining to do.

But hey, it's early, and there's still time for everything to work itself out. Smart undoubtedly will lead Georgia back to glory.

...

It's mid-October, and what a disgrace this season has been. Way too many interceptions. Way too many blown assignments on defense. Way too many coaching mistakes. Way too many players who don't care. It's incredibly aggravating, even if losses have been at a minimum.

It's unbelievable Georgia didn't go after a proven head coach. If you're going to fire Mark Richt, you have to bring in someone who will win at a much faster pace than Kirby is off to. This is becoming a disaster.

...

OK, it's time to get serious.

The cycle outlined above is something Georgia fans have endured the past 10 years. They've set up high expectations only to see the goals fall short. It can be frustrating, of course, and that led to Richt's ouster even after the 145 wins he accrued in 15 seasons.

Georgia fans want more and rightfully so. There have been too many talented teams and too many incredible players for this team to have gone without a national title in 15 years. The anti-Richt crowd had a very legitimate gripe about the status of the team, even if the pro-Richt crowd had a very valid point about the program risking its standing as a consistent winner.

But to expect Smart to turn the program around in year one is a bit much. Not to say this is everyone, but plenty of Georgia fans do believe Smart and his staff are the lone part of the equation that can get the Bulldogs over the hump instantaneously.

No matter how talented Eason was in high school, he will be a true freshman. Expect mistakes.

No matter how many players on defense have game experience, five key starters are being replaced. Chubb is coming off a serious knee injury. Malcolm Mitchell no longer be will around. Starting offensive linemen John Theus and Kolton Houston will leave, as will backup center and sixth offensive lineman Hunter Long. Transfers could still occur on defense since Smart decided not to keep Jeremy Pruitt, who was the sole reason plenty of players chose Georgia.

There is a lot to be excited about with Georgia's future. Smart has the pedigree and background to be successful. He already has done a great job bringing in Chaney and Pittman while retaining Tracy Rocker and Kevin Sherrer. Just don't expect the turnaround to be so quick.

Now, if Smart pulls a Jim McElwain and gets Georgia to the SEC championship in year one, that'll be a wonderful surprise for Georgia supporters. But Smart more than likely will need a year or two to build Georgia to the level he envisions -- even with the talent he's inheriting.

At that point, perhaps we can revisit this annual cycle and actually put some credence into the lofty expectations set by a hungry fan base each offseason.

Contact Jason Butt at jbutt@macon.com

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Butting in: 'Kirb' your enthusiasm, at least for now ."