Jason Butt: Kirby Smart's double duty nearing an end, something he played to perfection
ATHENS -- The sky didn't fall, and the world kept spinning. And guess what? Come Tuesday, Kirby Smart finally will devote his full attention to being the head coach of Georgia's football program.
It wasn't necessarily a popular narrative, but it was one circulated by plenty -- whether by columnists, talk-show hosts, fans or casual football observers. It was that Smart, hired a week after Georgia fired Mark Richt, should drop everything he's doing at Alabama and focus his full attention on the Bulldogs.
Never mind the fact Smart's team was in the College Football Playoff with a chance to play for a national championship. And never mind the fact Smart had developed close relationships with his mentor Nick Saban, other Alabama assistants and the players he helped recruit. Smart got the job he wanted but didn't want to burn any bridges during his exit. Kudos to Saban and Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity for allowing this to happen.
With Smart pulling double duty, some perceived it would negatively affect recruiting. Instead, he has helped keep Jacob Eason committed to Georgia, landed five-star tight end Isaac Nauta and for the most part, has kept a mass exodus of those set to return in 2016 from transferring out.
Landing Nauta on Saturday put Georgia back into the top-five of recruiting classes, according to 247Sports.com, and much more could be in store before the first Wednesday of February rolls around.
With the benefit of hindsight, Smart has played the situation he entered into with professionalism and grace. He even has helped put Georgia on the national stage while helping Alabama chase yet another championship as the dominant SEC team over the past decade.
Staying busy on the recruiting trail before the dead period, Smart still kept enough of a focus on the Crimson Tide's game plan for Michigan State. The Spartans, possessing possibly the top quarterback in the 2016 NFL draft in Connor Cook, were held scoreless in a 38-0 Alabama victory.
Smart's defense, aided by the best front seven in the nation and a much-improved secondary, devoured Michigan State and forced Cook into two interceptions.
Smart was able to put his Alabama defense in a good position while smoothing the blowback that resulted in firing someone like Richt, who was an exceptional coach during a 15-year period.
It's easy to think Smart should have dropped everything he accomplished and risk relationships for the sake of starting the Georgia job immediately. But with how things played out, Smart handled it beautifully. Nothing disastrous happened to Georgia, and Alabama is playing for a national championship Monday against Clemson. It's the best possible scenario Smart could have hoped for at this stage of the transition.
And Tuesday, Smart will no longer wear the crimson "A" on the left side of his chest. He finally will trade it in for the black "G" for good. He'll wait out the final few days of the dead period before hitting the recruiting trail. From there, Smart will do his part to keep what's considered a top-five recruiting class. Given Smart's reputation -- and the optimism brewing around the program -- that's something that easily could occur.
Smart also was able to nail down his coaching staff, which would be lauded by some and hated by others no matter who he picked. And he also landed an up-and-coming strength and conditioning coordinator in Scott Sinclair, who was recommended to Smart by numerous confidants in both the states of Georgia and Alabama.
Smart played his cards perfectly during the past month. If his defense plays as well Monday night, he'll arrive at Georgia a national champion.
Contact Jason Butt at jbutt@macon.com
This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Jason Butt: Kirby Smart's double duty nearing an end, something he played to perfection ."