Kirby says he was ready to step down in Summer 2021

[BigOrangeTrain]

I think that Kirby Smart will eventually take an NFL head coaching job at some point.

I don’t see it. It’s extremely difficult for college coaches to go to the NFL and find success. Smart is not a better coach than Urban Meyer. Yet what happened to him in the NFL? If he did go to the NFL, it would be likely to take over a bad team. And I don’t think he has what it takes to build a NFL team.

 

[Boston Vol]

I don’t see it. It’s extremely difficult for college coaches to go to the NFL and find success. Smart is at a better coach than Urban Meyer. Yet what happened to him in the NFL? If he did go to the NFL, it would be likely to take over a bad team. And I don’t think he has what it takes to build a NFL team.

Kirby Smart is not a better coach than Urban Meyer.

 

[05_never_again]

Kirby isn’t a better coach than Richt, he just came from Saban’s “School of how to buy recruits and get away with it” and applied it from the jump. His first season was hilarious, Derek Mason’s Vandy beat him, Nichols State lost to him by 2 points, we Hail Mary’d him, Ole Miss embarrassed him.

Yet somehow after all that, there were magically 17 four-star players and 3 five-star players just dying to go play for him instead of anywhere else to make up the third best class in the nation. He just did that enough times to buy his way into a Natty.

Kirby also has a meathead, relentless, ******* quality about him that Richt didn't have. He's a better coach and better recruiter than Richt was because he has those qualities. UGA has always recruited very well.

Richt was way too well-adjusted of a human being to lead a top program to the mountaintop, and I mean that as a compliment. Too laid back, and the job was not the single most important, end-all be-all thing in his life (again, I mean it as a compliment). I truly believe you have to be kind of crazy to be a great college football coach at the highest levels of the game.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

I don’t see it. It’s extremely difficult for college coaches to go to the NFL and find success. Smart is at a better coach than Urban Meyer. Yet what happened to him in the NFL? If he did go to the NFL, it would be likely to take over a bad team. And I don’t think he has what it takes to build a NFL team.

Urban Meyer is a poor excuse for a human being but no way in hell is Kirby a better coach than him.

That’s crazy talk.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Urban Meyer is a poor excuse for a human being but no way in hell is Kirby a better coach than him.

That’s crazy talk.

My bad I meant to say he wasn’t a better coach than Meyer

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Kirby Smart is not a better coach than Urban Meyer.

I know I screwed up lol

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Kirby also has a meathead, relentless, ******* quality about him that Richt didn't have. He's a better coach and better recruiter than Richt was because he has those qualities. UGA has always recruited very well.

Richt was way too well-adjusted of a human being to lead a top program to the mountaintop, and I mean that as a compliment. Too laid back, and the job was not the single most important, end-all be-all thing in his life (again, I mean it as a compliment). I truly believe you have to be kind of crazy to be a great college football coach at the highest levels of the game.

Richt was a fluke deflected pass from beating Bama in the SECCG in 2012, they would have played ND for the NC if they won and would have killed ND like Bama did. He also went 13-1 one year and won the SEC. Ordinarily that will get you a title shot but it was the year Miami and Ohio State both went undefeated and Ohio State beat Miami in that terribly officiated Fiesta Bowl. Richt had what it took he just didn't get luck when he needed it. Before the playoff especially, a certain degree of luck was needed to win a natty.

 

[05_never_again]

Richt was a fluke deflected pass from beating Bama in the SECCG in 2012, they would have played ND for the NC if they won and would have killed ND like Bama did. He also went 13-1 one year and won the SEC. Ordinarily that will get you a title shot but it was the year Miami and Ohio State both went undefeated and Ohio State beat Miami in that terribly officiated Fiesta Bowl. Richt had what it took he just didn't get luck when he needed it. Before the playoff especially, a certain degree of luck was needed to win a natty.

He also had multiple years where he had teams capable of winning the national title or SEC title and there was always some hard to explain loss that kept them out of it.

I agree that with some more luck he would have gotten a title, most likely in 2012. He also would have been in a 4-team playoff had one existed in 2002. However he wasn't quite good enough consistently to get into positions where he could make his own luck.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

He also had multiple years where he had teams capable of winning the national title or SEC title and there was always some hard to explain loss that kept them out of it.

I agree that with some more luck he would have gotten a title, most likely in 2012. He also would have been in a 4-team playoff had one existed in 2002. However he wasn't quite good enough consistently to get into positions where he could make his own luck.

That was the narrative with which we and other fanbases stoked the inherent insecurities of UGA fans, which I am all for, but how true was it really?

They weren't better than Bama in 2014 or 15, or Bama or Auburn in 2013, in 2012 they were close and almost beat Bama except for the aforementioned deflected pass, in 2011 they were a distant third behind Bama and LSU, they weren't better than Cam Newton's Auburn in 2010, Bama in 2009 or Florida in 2008 or 2006. In 2007, yeah, they probably blew it that year because they'd have beaten LSU I think. 2005, they won the SEC but USC and OU were undefeated, they weren't getting in. In 2003 and 2004, LSU and Auburn were SEC champs respectively with LSU winning the natty, and UGA wasn't better than either. I think Richt's team choked really one time when they had a really good team in 15 years and could have won it (2007). They choked early that year losing to South Carolina, lost to a good UT team and then were lights out after that, but it was too late. The rest of the years they just weren't very fortunate.

 

[05_never_again]

That was the narrative with which we and other fanbases stoked the inherent insecurities of UGA fans, which I am all for, but how true was it really?

They weren't better than Bama in 2014 or 15, or Bama or Auburn in 2013, in 2012 they were close and almost beat Bama except for the aforementioned deflected pass, in 2011 they were a distant third behind Bama and LSU, they weren't better than Cam Newton's Auburn in 2010, Bama in 2009 or Florida in 2008 or 2006. In 2007, yeah, they probably blew it that year because they'd have beaten LSU I think. 2005, they won the SEC but USC and OU were undefeated, they weren't getting in. In 2003 and 2004, LSU and Auburn were SEC champs respectively with LSU winning the natty, and UGA wasn't better than either. I think Richt's team choked really one time when they had a really good team in 15 years and could have won it. They choked early that year losing to South Carolina, lost to a good UT team and then were lights out after that, but it was too late.

IMO, they had teams capable of winning national titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 (probably his single-most disappointing season, and was a real line of demarcation in his tenure there), and 2012. The opportunities he had to win national titles were very clustered earlier in his tenure.

 

[Boston Vol]

I’m guessing that he’s glad that he didn’t

 

[RDU VOL#14]

IMO, they had teams capable of winning national titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 (probably his single-most disappointing season, and was a real line of demarcation in his tenure there), and 2012. The opportunities he had to win national titles were very clustered earlier in his tenure.

Some of my greatest in person memories of the last 20 years. 2004 was extra sweet to go in there and shock them w/ Ainge as freshman.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Some of my greatest in person memories of the last 20 years. 2004 was extra sweet to go in there and shock them w/ Ainge as freshman.

Auburn kicked their *** later that year (2004) also with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Auburn was much better that year IMO. I think Richt realistically had a good enough team to win the natty 3 times, 2002, 2007 and 2012. 2002 was just a bad year when a 13-1 SEC champ didn't get a title shot because of undefeated Ohio State and Miami, honestly if they had been undefeated that year, they'd have still been shut out. 2007 they were really good, they blew it losing to South Carolina, losing to us didn't kill them because we were pretty good also. 2012 they had that deflected pass in the championship game with Bama, just a bad break. Richt is a hall of fame coach I think, especially with his rep and work off the field combined with a 171-64 all time record. If Bo Schembechler is in there with no national championship Richt should be. Far better dude.

 

[05_never_again]

I’m guessing that he’s glad that he didn’t

Saban (and I think Dabo as well) get automatic raises too.

 

[05_never_again]

Auburn kicked their *** later that year (2004) also with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Auburn was much better that year IMO. I think Richt realistically had a good enough team to win the natty 3 times, 2002, 2007 and 2012. 2002 was just a bad year when a 13-1 SEC champ didn't get a title shot because of undefeated Ohio State and Miami, honestly if they had been undefeated that year, they'd have still been shut out. 2007 they were really good, they blew it losing to South Carolina, losing to us didn't kill them because we were pretty good also. 2012 they had that deflected pass in the championship game with Bama, just a bad break. Richt is a hall of fame coach I think, especially with his rep and work off the field combined with a 171-64 all time record. If Bo Schembechler is in there with no national championship Richt should be. Far better dude.

Frequent visitors to this forum probably know my thoughts about Bo. Schembechler is not only in the HoF with his record, but somehow enjoys a borderline Bear Bryant or Bobby Bowden-like status, especially among Michigan fans. If he's in, Richt should get in twice.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Frequent visitors to this forum probably know my thoughts about Bo. Schembechler is not only in the HoF with his record, but somehow enjoys a borderline Bear Bryant or Bobby Bowden-like status, especially among Michigan fans. If he's in, Richt should get in twice.

The Big 10 was really bad in Bo's tenure too, Penn State wasn't in the Big 10 back then and their only real competition was Ohio State and he only had to go against Woody Hayes for about 8 of his 21 years at Michigan because Woody got fired I think in 77' for the altercation with the Clemson player in the Gator Bowl. Richt faced a lot better competition year in and year out in the SEC. Plus Michigan always got boatraced by the Pac 10 champ in the Rose Bowl.

 

[05_never_again]

The Big 10 was really bad in Bo's tenure too, Penn State wasn't in the Big 10 back then and their only real competition was Ohio State and he only had to go against Woody Hayes for about 8 of his 21 years at Michigan because Woody got fired I think in 77' for the altercation with the Clemson player in the Gator Bowl. Richt faced a lot better competition year in and year out in the SEC. Plus Michigan always got boatraced by the Pac 10 champ in the Rose Bowl.

Yep. Bo was 2-8 in the Rose Bowl. Michigan fans are really quick to point out his number of Big Ten titles, but as you said, that conference was a 2-horse race in those days.

IMO, his entire legend is going 5-4-1 against Woody during the 10-Year War and his "Michigan Man" comment after firing Bill Frieder as the AD.

 

[Remy]

He says that and like magic a few days later gets a ten year contract making him highest paid coach. Somehow now methinks he feels like he can go on.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

He says that and like magic a few days later gets a ten year contract making him highest paid coach. Somehow now methinks he feels like he can go on.

I think what he said got misinterpreted somewhat. He was talking about what hell it was on everybody when the long COVID dead period ended.

 

[wmcovol]

After he talked those kids into bypass the NFL a yr to come back. I’m calling complete BS on this one.

 

[DaddyChad]

Kirby isn’t a better coach than Richt, he just came from Saban’s “School of how to buy recruits and get away with it” and applied it from the jump. His first season was hilarious, Derek Mason’s Vandy beat him, Nichols State lost to him by 2 points, we Hail Mary’d him, Ole Miss embarrassed him.

Yet somehow after all that, there were magically 17 four-star players and 3 five-star players just dying to go play for him instead of anywhere else to make up the third best class in the nation. He just did that enough times to buy his way into a Natty.

Richt was very close to a National Title one year. Kirby likely never gets one last season if they play the same Bama team they played in the SEC title game. Both damn good play callers on opposite sides of the ball. Both good recruiters but no doubt Kirby is dirtier. Much as a detest Georgia, Richt was a good man.

 

[LouderVol]

Richt was very close to a National Title one year. Kirby likely never gets one last season if they play the same Bama team they played in the SEC title game. Both damn good play callers on opposite sides of the ball. Both good recruiters but no doubt Kirby is dirtier. Much as a detest Georgia, Richt was a good man.

What drastically changed between the SEC and the playoffs for Bama?

If you want to argue it was a different Bama team it was, by the same measure, a different Georgia team.

 

[05_never_again]

What drastically changed between the SEC and the playoffs for Bama?

If you want to argue it was a different Bama team it was, by the same measure, a different Georgia team.

That game was over the moment Williams went down for Alabama. They were already without Metchie. UGA's defense was awesome regardless, but they were unstoppable when they didn't have to worry about anybody taking the top off.

 

[LouderVol]

That game was over the moment Williams went down for Alabama. They were already without Metchie. UGA's defense was awesome regardless, but they were unstoppable when they didn't have to worry about anybody taking the top off.

Injuries can happen in any game. If it was just one player you cant argue it's a completely different team.

 

[05_never_again]

Injuries can happen in any game. If it was just one player you cant argue it's a completely different team.

I'm not sure I'd call Alabama a "completely different team" at that point, but they were going to be much easier for UGA to beat without their top 2 receivers.