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
Bud Flu
January 12th, 2010
9:33 am
Lmfao. People are p*ssd off!
David's Scoop
January 12th, 2010
9:34 am
David Pollack will not be happy with Kirby, since David reported that Kirby to uga was a done deal! Kirby–you better call David and calm him down!!!
Top Dawg
January 12th, 2010
9:38 am
What about making a run at Mickey Andrews or Chuck Amato? Both from Richt’s FSU days.
fair and Balanced
January 12th, 2010
9:40 am
Oprah: “Everybody gets a raise!”
Kirby smart--overrated
January 12th, 2010
9:40 am
The alabama D was built and run by Saban, not smart. Smart is just saban’s gofer on that staff. UGA can do much better than smart. They need to look to the NFL like Florida did and get proven talent.
Scooter
January 12th, 2010
9:40 am
My goodness, are all Dawg fans this stupid. You are delusional about the quality of your program. You are delusional about the need for a former player to come back to Athens when he has a great job. Why? Is it so you idiots can attack another coach and try to run him out of town, too. You have never won anything outside of 3 years when #34 was at RB and you could only win 1 National Championship then. UGA is a second tier program with fans who have absolutely no idea about real winning football. Kirby stayed where true tradition lives and is working for a coach that can provide a real live stepping stone, not one that would derail Smart’s career. Get a clue morons. Oh, ans as you flame away, be reminded that Alabama won the National Championship. Roll Tide!
Bdawg
January 12th, 2010
9:42 am
I think it’s funny how fans at rival schools kick you when you are down. I guess that’s what makes the college game so intense and enjoyable when you win. Go ahead everyone and get your shots in now. When UGA gets the right guy, and I do mean when not if, we will be right back in the hunt for the SEC title and a top 10 ranking every year. Mark Richt isn’t going anywhere unless he chooses too. He is a class act and one heck of a coach. The only real mistake he has made, is waiting one year to long in pulling the plug on Martinez. If we had made the change a year ago we would’ve won 10 games this year.
Nick
January 12th, 2010
9:46 am
When there D sucks a year or two from now he will get canned by Saben.
eriecliper
January 12th, 2010
9:54 am
I am disappointed that Kirby is not coming to UGA, but far more disappointing is the reaction of the fans and bloggers. In years past UGA has always been a “Class Act”. You could feel it when you entered Sanford Stadium, win, lose or draw you knew you were visiting one of college football’s most elite programs. It was a program of history and “good sportsmanship”. Georgia held its place among the oldest and grandest of programs, when it came to class Princeton, Harvard and Yale had nothing on UGA. I only mention those because of their history. In my opinion, UGA has always been on a higher tier athletically.
I have been working “out of state” for several years and have not be able to attend as many games as I would have liked, so naturally I was shocked when a friend, from Clemson, mentioned to me that UGA was not acting with the “class” for which they/we known. Not having seen it personally I did not give the statement the credence that was warranted. Lately I have personally evidenced this degradation, just look at the blogs. People Kirby Smart is “one of our own”! He has made a professional decision; to do what he feels is best for his career. Is that not what he attended UGA for in the 1st place. Don’t you want to see all UGA players achieve to their utmost ability?
There is a lot of conversation about the position having been offered to this coach or that coach. MR has not said that the position has been offered to anyone. With all of the demands for his “head on a platter” during this past season, I’m certain that he is trying to ensure that he gets the best coach available that fits into his scheme. I know that is exactly what I would be doing.
Georgia is a great school with a great football program. We have stumbled for a couple of years (funny, not many other schools in the nation would consider consistent winning seasons stumbling). We are still one of the top schools in the nation and we will return to our former position.
In the interim a coach turning UGA down because he is offered more money in his present position is not a disgrace to Georgia. The disgrace to UGA is the recent conduct of its supporters, but hopefully, that too will pass.
Bushwacker
January 12th, 2010
9:55 am
If GA is serious about having a great defense they will go after someone who a first glance people would say, NO WAY ,but I would hire George O’ Leary
RED NECKS WITH SHORT MEMORY
January 12th, 2010
9:55 am
Hey Bama Red Necks remembor how many times yall got shot down before hiring the azz hole Hick Saban !!!!!!!!!!! 13 National championships is a complete joke.
Don Gill
January 12th, 2010
9:57 am
It seems that GA’s candidates are extremely well thought of where they are.
Dawg Drool (BaseballVol13)
January 12th, 2010
9:59 am
Man, I wonder how many of the “pups” commitments King Kiffin will pull before a DC gets hired. Not looking good at all for the “ball lickers”!!!!
Bdawg
January 12th, 2010
9:59 am
Here are some solid facts that will debunk some of you alls “second tier” comments. Here is where the UGA program has been under Richt so far: 90-27 W/L in 9 seasons, 7-2 bowl record, 3 SEC Championship app., 2 SEC titles, 2 Sugar Bowl wins, and 8 out of 9 seasons finishing in the Top 25 with 6 being Top 10 finishes. The only thing he hasn’t done is win a National title. It will come. It took both Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno a while to win there first and they are among the greatest coaches in the history of the game. I commend both Urban Myer and Nick Saban on what they have done, but that is not the norm. Mark Richt is an exceptional coach and will get us back on track. How easily people forget the 9-4 season Florida had in between thier two great seasons or the 7-6 start and humiliating loss to Utah last year that Saban had.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
10:07 am
mrk, a very well written comment. Good to see you can see the troof.
RTR!
Scooter
January 12th, 2010
10:11 am
How could I ever have labeled UGA fans delusional. I am quite sure George O’Leary woould leave his job as HEAD COACH at a place like UCF for the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Athens and be the DC. As I read the comments of UGA fans, I realize that Athens is a utopia of football greatness. I also now realize the success of Saban and Meyer is not the norm. Mark Richt is apparently the standard by which all others are measured.
Here is a dose of reality for you…UGA will win 7 games in 2010 and you will fire Richt.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
10:14 am
Hey, Red Necks, I know you probably flunked math but last time I checked 8 > 2. See, that’s how many NCs Bama has.
Thanks for playing!
RTR! 29 years and counting Dawg fans!
Troof
January 12th, 2010
10:15 am
Scooter, that’s what I have been telling them!
Kirby Smart for UGA HC in 2011!!
#2 BAMA FAN
January 12th, 2010
10:16 am
It is funny to read all the bs the dawg nation is saying about Kirby Smart!! Folks he was a good football player for the dawgs and coached for the dawgs. Right now Tuscaloosa is a better place for him and his family to live and for his coaching career. If Mark Richt was to get fired after this season
of 2010 or 2011 Kirby Smart would be a great hire for the dawg nation!! The great linebacker at Alabama that is turning pro early yesterday said that keeping Kirby Smart was great for the program
and said that Saban would not had won the national championship with out Kirby Smart!! RTR
suck it nerd
January 12th, 2010
10:20 am
Scooter – Are you saying it is normal to have the types of success that Saban and Meyer have had? If so that maybe the stupidest comment on this site. If not what are you trying to say?
Saban and Meyer are fantastic coachest for many reasons. I like that Saban ran down the sidelines screaming at his D tackle for drawing a penalty after scoring a touchdown. It shows where his expectations are.
That’s why UF and UA are where they are. The rest of the SEC wants to get there. As a UGA fan it’s where I want to see us headed.
Kirk Herbstreit Scoop
January 12th, 2010
10:20 am
Captain Kirk Scooped the Les Miles move from LSU in 2007.
Brent what’a'burget scooped that Smart was headed to Texas Tech.
ESPN and their SCOOPERS….haaa ahaa ahaaaa
Scooter
January 12th, 2010
10:22 am
Troof,
Correct. From a professional standpoint, if Kirby Smart wants to be the next HC at UGA, he stayed right where he needs to be. If he came to Athens and rebuilt the defense with much success, he could become king. However, if he struggled, all this “Saban’s boy” stuff would multiply and he would be the next Secondary coach at Murray State. He made a good career move. I am floored by the response of some UGA fans on here. That is why I have been baiting them this morning. I am way to childish myself to resist eliciting the responses I get from them and knowing the anger it has caused from so many with such delusion.
2 Top DC's Georgia Guys
January 12th, 2010
10:22 am
Cool, that 2 Georgia guys met for the Natl Champ, Muschamp and Smart.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
10:31 am
I like you Scooter.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
10:33 am
2 Top, the funny thing is that neither of them were doing it for Richt!
29 years and counting Dawg fans!
PWL
January 12th, 2010
10:57 am
Kirby just worked this to get a raise for him and MB.
Big Bob 98
January 12th, 2010
11:00 am
Enter your comments here
Big Bob 98
January 12th, 2010
11:01 am
UGA DOES NOT NEED KIRBY.
HE NEEDS TO STAY WITH SATAN!
Big Bob 98
January 12th, 2010
11:03 am
Little Kirby “Scooter” Smart (AKA Satan’s shadow) does not calls the shots.
Satan is calling all of the plays.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
11:03 am
Dear Big Bob,
UGA doesn’t need me either!
Signed,
BCS Championship Trophy
Troof
January 12th, 2010
11:04 am
Dear Big Bob,
Please don’t call Mr. Saban “Satan.” You might make him think I told you to do it and I don’t want to make him mad!
Thanks,
Lucifer
Dawgie Bowser
January 12th, 2010
11:06 am
14 long pages and counting. This goes on forever… Kirby ain’t comin’ … Get it!…. Let’s talk about other matters.
RedTornado
January 12th, 2010
11:07 am
His decision doesn’t slight Georgia, He wants to continue to be mentored by someone who won 2 nat’l. championships. So when the time comes, he will be able to take a Head coaching job making 5 x what he would be making if we made a lateral move to Georgia. It doesn’t look like Richt is going anywhere anytime soon, so Georgia is not that better job. My prediction for the SEC championship next year ALABAMA vs. SOUTH CAROLINA. Who wants to give me 10 to 1 on that bet?
Top Dawg
January 12th, 2010
11:11 am
What about making a run at Mickey Andrews or Chuck Amato? Both from Richt’s Florida State days.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
11:11 am
How much more would UGA want CKS for their HC position if they made it to a 3rd straight SECCG!
Troof
January 12th, 2010
11:12 am
Red, I like your thinking. I’ll be in Columbia next year to see Bama play USC!
darrell starks
January 12th, 2010
11:23 am
RODNEY GARDNER D.C IF GEORGIA WANT 2 BE COME CHAMPIONS.
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
WhatUpDawg
January 12th, 2010
11:33 am
I got it. CMR can call for a Dawg Nation BLACKOUT when he offers the job to NUMBER 5. That worked so well in the past. Come on pups, what you think?
Tracey
January 12th, 2010
11:43 am
Did y’all watch the BCS game?? Did you hear the announcers discussing the “one voice” policy of Nick Saban?
They said, “Nick Saban does not allow his assistant coaches to give interviews to the media. This is his “one voice” speaking for the program philosophy and he has had this policy everywhere he has been a head coach.”
Kirby can talk if he wants to violate that policy!
Ronster9
January 12th, 2010
11:43 am
Bulldog fans have no one to blame but themselves. Why would any successful
DC come here? Whenever the Bulldogs hit a rough patch and lose a game or two,
the so-called bulldog nation screams for blood, and blogs ‘off with their heads!’ Who
would want to put themselves and their families in that negative environment?
If the bulldogs fans want a talented DC to move here, they better start treating the
coaches now here with more respect. If they don’t, the Bulldog ‘brand’ will continue
to decline in the eyes of other coaches and DC’s. Respect starts at home.
GaGator
January 12th, 2010
11:47 am
When are dawg fans going to realize that Richt has become the definition of the “Peter Princple”.
He has risen to a level of incompetence——-just as Bobby Bowden predicted, “Mark maybe too nice to be a head coach”.
He’s a great Offensive Coordinator, but a sorry Head coach, just witness the penalties from the pass two years and keeping those defensive coaches 1 year too long.
Now the worse part you are seeing right before your eyes, his inability to attract any quality coaches to come to his program. You folks need a new head coach.
Troof
January 12th, 2010
11:47 am
Yeah, Dawg fans! Get your act together!
ifeelyourpain
January 12th, 2010
11:53 am
as a bama fan…i KNOW what you ga guys are experiencing….
we once were strong….
yet painfully became a non-factor in the SEC…just like you are now…
we, also, refused to believe it…
we call it the shula years….and it was terrible….
since shula…like richt, was such a nice guy…
it is time for you to turn the page….
it is NOT a dc you need….
it is a HEAD COACH…
yet like most addicts in denial….you look elsewhere else for excuses…
you will once again be a contender…when you solve your REAL problem
GaGator
January 12th, 2010
11:58 am
ifeelyourpain
HAS NAILED IT DAWG FANS, YOU BETTER START LOOKING FOR A NEW HEAD COACH AND MAYBE A NEW AD.
Francine "the queen of extreme"
January 12th, 2010
12:00 pm
RED NECKS WITH SHORT MEMORY – hey moron Alabama was only rejected ONCE in their last coaching search by RichRod. AND THANK GOD HE DID. Enjoy obscurity fleabag, the view from the top is DAM beautiful. Maybe you’ll live to see it someday. (2040 maybe?)
Kirby Smart
January 12th, 2010
12:02 pm
Nat’l Championship vs. Not ranked in top 25
Top Defense vs. Terrible Defensive
Pasadena vs. Shreveport
Septic Tank vs. Alabama
SEC Championship vs. Fat Chance
Beating FL vs. Losing year after year after year after year.
Enjoy Shreveport in 2010 if you can get there.
dap01
January 12th, 2010
12:03 pm
The difference in Shula and CMR is the record. Shula didn’t one. He was a bad coach (he still does not coach). CMR is one of the most successful college coaches. Check the record. That’s not opinion, it’s a fact.
The difference in Bama and UGA, is the fact that no one will throw bricks through windows like Bama fans.
Kirby is Smart
January 12th, 2010
12:04 pm
ifeelyourpain and GaGator:
Please don’t post remarks like you just did; this whole situation is very entertaining–I don’t want to see it end with a logical solution.
JMc12203
January 12th, 2010
12:09 pm
Like I have repeatedly said, the UGA football program is sinking. They played in the “Who Cares” bowl this season, because their program has become irrevelent. You beat Auburn, South Carolina, and Arkansas, but all were chosen to better bowls than the pitiful puppies. UGA is about equal to Kentucky, one of the teams you lost to this season, and looking at the 2010 schedule, a 6-6 record would be a good season for your pitiful team. No experienced QB (and I do not consider Logan Gray a QB), your best defenders graduated or jumped ship, and in general NO leadership from players or coaches. Yeah, 6-6 will be a good season for the underwhelming, undercoached puppies.
ifeelyourpain
January 12th, 2010
12:18 pm
mike shula…not coaching since he left bama?…
http://www.jaguars.com/team/coach.aspx?id=2696
and correctly, shula never resorted to the sheer genius of such tactics like:
uniform changes to confuse the opposition
“black outs”
planned end zone celebrations
we, too, tried to live in our past glory….
felt nice for a second…but didn’t solve the problem…