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The post-game locker room scene in New Orleans was one which revealed that Georgia’s most recent team had the right stuff. There were a lot of tears, much hugging and feeling as the players said their goodbyes, knowing they likely will never be together again as a group. It was a sincere and compassionate expression of brotherly love.
Nobody was discoursing about the draft or NIL possibilities but how much they enjoyed and appreciated their teammates and their time together in Athens.
The culture the head coach has brought about has resulted in sustained success, but it is very tough to win a championship, especially in today’s college football world, where there is no stability when he comes to roster development.
There are more talented athletes out there than ever before and while many of them greatly appreciate the institutions with which they affiliate, today’s process fosters alignment with the highest bidder.
Have you thought about the predicament which Kirby Smart has brought about? He does such a good job with player development, many players come to Athens and get the benefit of the Georgia system and then move on to where the grass is greener (more money). Kirby simply will not let money spoil the locker room.
The Georgia training regimen is so good that every year the Bulldogs lose a significant portion of their roster to the National Football League. (For the next Super Bowl, Georgia will, for the 25th straight year, have a player on one of the rosters). How ‘bout that streak which is likely to continue.
It is tough when you train a kid for the NFL and lose a portion of your roster every year when August comes around, but losing players who can move on for any reason certainly makes college football recruiting an inequitable process.
Then when judges get in on the act, directing that a school grant an extra year of eligibility, which happened last fall, you wonder if there will ever be any sanity with college football again.
For the fans who are being called on to support the program, to the extreme, puts more pressure on the coaches to win big. If the championships are not there, then the donors are not going to be there.
As a Georgia alumnus, I am overjoyed with what Kirby Smart has been able to accomplish in Athens. It is the best job in history. It is also the best record of any collegiate program in the state historically.
No coach works harder or smarter. He has two primary interests, his family and coaching the Georgia football team. No coach has ever given his
