Smart explains decision to reject UGA (updated)
Athens — Kirby Smart won’t be coming to Georgia as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator, deciding after two days of deliberation to remain in the same job at Alabama.
Smart, a former Georgia player, explained his decision in written comments provided by Alabama:
“I think it was pretty well known that there was an opportunity to return to my alma mater as defensive coordinator,” Smart said. ”I wouldn’t even have considered discussing the position with any other school, but when it is a place I’ve spent some of my best years and had some great memories, I thought it was something I should discuss with my family and figure out what was best.
“After thinking about all the factors over the last couple days, we are going to stay at the University of Alabama. We love it in Tuscaloosa, have made some great friends here and I think we are building something special here at Alabama with Coach [Nick] Saban. I have learned so much in the time I’ve spent with Coach Saban, and every year I feel like a become a better coach.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for Coach [Mark] Richt and the job he has done there, and the University of Georgia will also have a special place in my heart. Not only did I play there, but my wife played basketball there and we have a lot of friends at UGA.”
Smart had been considering a lucrative multi-year offer — reportedly for three or four years at around $700,000 per year — to return to his alma mater as defensive coordinator. His pending decision had been the subject of intense speculation among UGA fans over the weekend. Saban previously had expressed his disapproval of assistant coaches making lateral career moves.
“We’re very pleased and happy that Kirby is going to be staying here at the University of Alabama with us,” Saban said in a statement this afternoon. ”He’s done a fabulous job for us. He’s one of the finest assistant coaches in the country.
“You expect guys like Kirby to get lots of opportunities to do things, and we want to continue to help him continue to develop his career here so that when he leaves here, it’s going to be to be a head coach and probably in a very good situation. So we’re excited about that. We’re happy for him and his family. It’s very pleasing to us.”
Alabama is believed to have aggressively countered Georgia’s financial offer, but said it would not reveal Smart’s new salary until it is approved by trustees in the spring. Smart’s salary was around $360,000 in 2009.
Richt has been trying to hire a new defensive coordinator since the Dec. 2 firing of Willie Martinez and two other defensive coaches.
Georgia previously pursued two veteran defensive coordinators for the job, Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster and LSU’s John Chavis. Both opted to remain in their current jobs after having their contracts considerably sweetened.
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1,397 comments Add your comment
Porty
January 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
Hey Dog stuck in Bama, it didn’t take KS turning UGa down to make them look second rate. They do it pretty good on their own!
KD
January 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
Saban said, not Kirby, and isn’t Kirby man enough to speak for himself. If Kirby wants to coach for his alma mata, then he can tell Saban where to go. I think there are 3 coaches in college that you can group together for different reasons, and most of you know what they are; Saban, Meyer, & Kiffin.
The Whole truth
January 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
The Dawgs never really wanted Kirby.. He was not a very good coach.. He is short and too low key…
Right!!!
Yeah and Richt would have gone 12-0 last year if not for the Refs.
Can you say septic tank!
BamaJoe
January 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
I guess that plane from Athens to Tuscaloosa was dropping off the hopes of bulldog nation to Bama rather than bringing back a DC…..RTR
Cuz
January 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
I smell fire and brimstone.
Willie Martinez
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Seriously, hire those two grad assistants who coached the bowl game
Real ACC Champions
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
I wonder why a 34 year old man cannot speak for himself?
Coach Spraytan
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Don’t worry boys, I got the inside track. We were gonna promote Garner all the time. We just wanted Bama to pay Smart more money
Hooday Hooooooooooo
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
That David Pollack is full of more sheeet than a Christmas goose!
TW3A
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
SABAN: I’m bending over boy, kiss it..
SMART: YES SIR as you wish master Saban
Dawgs97
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Honestly, Dawg fans in here ripping Kirby should lay off. The guy is like a year or two away from getting a head coaching job anyway & it was porbably the most sensible move to stay put at least one more season as DC in the same place. This was less about Athens and Tuscaloosa, and more about getting closer to becoming a head coach.
Best of luck, Coach Smart, you do a great job with Alabama and wish you well. I look forward to Richt hiring a great candidate soon.
BigHittas
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Just because Saban says that in a press conference does that mean it’s true?
Nope.
Just think how many times Saban has said he was staying somewhere only to be moving? I wouldn’t assume it’s over till I hear from it Smart or Richt.
dawg it
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
told ya so…..and Saben has too now. where do we go from here? hint: looking at teams on top and trying to get their coaches to come to UGA is a no-go….the atmosphere here is not as attractive as we think, it seems.
nickz
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Smart’s still coming until I hear it from him…Saban’s just saying that so it’ll make Smart look bad when he decides to come to UGA. Saban’s a tool!
BamaGrad
January 11th, 2010
3:18 pm
Georgia is a nice regional football power (along same lines of Auburn and Clemson), but now that Kirby has experienced being part of a big-time national power like Bama, he likes the view from the top. If there is a HC opening in the next couple of years at another national program, he will be on the short list I am sure – similar to a Bob Stoops hire at Oklahoma. The UGA football program under Richt is a sinking ship – nice guy but far too soft and now his teams are a reflection of that. I hope the “Dawgs” have a nice time on the swimming or bowling outing during fall camp. Saban and Smart will likely be swimming in a Gatorade bath again at Phoenix University Stadium next January.
TEH
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
Remember…Saban also said he was not going to leave Miami but he did..so I will wait for the official word from Kirby or Mark Richt. GO DAWGS!
bigdawg88
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
Okay, go after Withers now, or the guy at Air Force….
'Bama 1
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
Kirby Smart lives up to name. He has something now that he would never see at Georgia, a National Championship Ring! Suck it Georgia!
Roll Tide
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Real ACC Champions
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
To BamaJoe:
I hope when UGA wins a national title, we don’t display it at Wal-Mart! You did win the National Title but Tuscaloosa is still Tuscaloosa.
jimmy
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
we don’t a d.c who can’t speak for himself
Gooberdawg
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Thet Smart shur is Stoopid. He cheapens ma Uga deegree
Dawg in Jorts Country
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Grantham or Leavitt wouldn’t be bad fall back options. But with the Cowboys playing well (and possibly for a few more weeks) and Leavitt filing a lawsuit against USF, they aren’t likely to happen given the amount of time we’d have to wait to get them.
TW3A
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
We will remember this if the Georgia Headcoaching job ever comes open….We will call you right after we call Golf
20% unemployment
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
“Anyone, Anyone want a job”
Just one condition. You have to live in Athens… No not Greece the cess pool.
Hmmmmm
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
I agree with JOhn that it is a Jackass thing for Saban to do and not even let KS be man enough to say so himself. Guess we shouldn’t be surprised given the hissy fit Saban threw this weekedn when he thought KS was leaving.
Good luck getting past that to your next job KS.
Bdawg
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Wow! Didn’t see that coming. All indications pointed to him leaving Bama. This hurts if it is indeed true. I just want to know, what happened? ESPN was reporting it was likely and even David Pollack was tweeting that it was all but finalized. Were they just that wrong, or did something happen in the last couple of hours to change his mind?
UGA
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Omigog! We’re irrelevant! What do we do now?
AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa
Terry
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
The headline simply says it all.
UGA VIII
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Crap, now I am cursed too!
AceDawg
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
I think he’s the one we wanted and expected, but there are lots of good ones out there – here’s to hoping one is cracking UGA heads together in Spring practice.
Jim Jones
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
Nick Saban always gets what he wants.
SimpleDawg
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
Must be more to the story…….. I smell a rat.
Let’s wait until Kirby says no himself.
No reason to trust Satan.
Who Cares?
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
This just confirms what everybody thinks of the uga program, it’s on the decline and a second rate program.
Bartkowski had a great arm!
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
I don’t give a damn what you guys say. UGA is getting a LOT of respect by getting these guys HUGE raises. It certainly isn’t the end of the world for UGA’s D. Grantham, I’m confident, will be a great guy for the program. LOL. Anyone but Martinez.
EW
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
All this second rate talk is hilarious. Especially coming from teams who have been in UGA’s shadow for the past decade (Bama, Tech…).
Bring on Grantham and let’s go.
PS. One offer was made…no more. The others were just talks.
Without-a-clue
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
Smart is like a recruit that doesn’t want to be here. If he doesn’t want to be here, we don’t want him. Next!
And...SabanNeverFibs
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
After all, he himself has never ever ever EVER said he was staying put somewhere and then ended up bailing out on a prgram, right?
So… Wouldn’t it be funny if one of his valued assistants dumped him the way he has dumped so many others?
Nick Saban doesn’t know the meaning of the word *loyalty* and that particular Karma would be so sweet.
Just a Fan
January 11th, 2010
3:21 pm
Georgia continues down its path of IRRELEVANCY.
Better get used to it…..more to come.
And…Im a Ga fan.
ricardo
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Relax Dawg fans because Kirby is smarter than we are. He will come home to be our Head Coach in the not too distant future.
Bremen Dawg
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Kirby was negotiating will Alabama all along. Thats what its about, money. I just hate that Mark Richt keeps wasting his time on these guys. Maybe this will cause some problems for Alabama now that he is probably getting a big raise and now the rest of his coaches will be looking to get out.
Hooday Hooooooooooo
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
I wish Mark Richt would take his Muzzle off and let us know what the hell is going on.
Dawg stuck in Bham
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Here’s the facts: Richt and Bobo are pissed. Smart gave a verbal YES last week and asked for it in writing. They gave it to him. He backed out after getting strong armed by Saban the last 48 hours. Another guy falling for Saban’s selfish lies. He wins…but he lies to do it.
Don't believe little nicky just yet
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
How many times did he say he wasn’t leaving the Dolphins?
Vince's Dooley
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Ray Goff is available and he is still my boy.
20% unemployment
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
“Anyone, Anyone want a job”
Just one condition. You have to live in Athens… No not Greece the cess poo
Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
A good defense is a better offense. Just remember that!
NWO 4 LIFE!
Nick
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Another coach using a Georgia Team for a raise. I’m looking at you Petrino!
Ginger
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Disappointed…but in this world you can lie down and die or keep fighting…..We gotta keep fighting !!
Todd Grantham
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Don’t worry Dawgs, I’m better than Smart…I’ve proven I can get it done on my own…..