Kirby Smart turns 50 with the kind of résumé that would let most coaches disappear into the sunset and never look back. He has won a pile of games and championships, made plenty of money, and been quoted often enough to fill a library. He could spend the rest of his days fishing, hunting, playing the world’s best golf courses, and checking off bucket-list stops one by one.
That is not his plan.
Smart has never really laid out what comes next “down the road,” because his life remains centered on coaching Georgia and being with his family, the same way it has since he came back to Athens in December 2015. As he moves into his eleventh campaign, he looks more settled, maybe even a little more relaxed, but the edge is still there. The fire is still there, too.
I have never seen him more comfortable in his skin than he is as we approach kickoff of the 2026 collegiate campaign. The seasoning shows. He comes across as a little more relaxed, but when he grabs the microphone at practice, everybody in the building knows he is in his element.
His tongue is still sharp. His football mind is still sharp. And the mission has not changed since the day he became Georgia’s 26 th head football coach: win for his alma mater.
When I first sat down with him after the press conference announcing his appointment, he talked about wanting to bring success to a fan base that had been waiting for it. He said he wanted to win games because that is what the business is about, and he wanted Georgia’s alumni to enjoy what other schools had already enjoyed.
That appetite is still driving him now. Even in the NIL era, he understands the danger of complacency, and I see him coaching just as hard today as he did during that first week of fall camp in 2016.
People listen when he talks. He can handle the most foolish questions and still give a useful answer.
He is always insightful. At the preseason meeting of the Atlanta Touchdown Club, he explained that he and his staff try to learn as much as they can about recruits.
If a prospect disrespects his coach, Smart says they will not waste their time. The first rule in recruiting, he said, is finding out how kids respect their mother. Disrespect means he won’t be welcome in Athens.
He also has a gift for dropping little lines that stick. One came when he talked about Hines Ward, the former all-purpose back for the Bulldogs. “The single best football player I ever saw.”
Smart pointed out that Ward’s mother worked three jobs to support the family.
“Today,” Kirby says, “She would be a millionaire.”
As August rolls around, he becomes all football. Those around him see a coach who is about as efficient as anyone in the profession.
He does not sleep at the office the way Dick Vermeil was known to do with the Eagles and Rams, but he also has no interest in criticizing how somebody else operates. If it works, it works.
He also keeps learning from others. In the off-season, he looks for ideas and numbers that mean something, including from professional teams. One stat that caught his attention from the Oklahoma Thunder when they won the NBA title two years ago was that they led the league in claiming loose balls.
His staff has also “studied” the New Zealand “All Blacks,” and the lessons that came out of that work fit Smart neatly: Better Never Rests. Intrinsic Motivation.
No Ego/Team first. He will always believe in “No one will ever be bigger than the team.”
The thought here is that if NIL had never arrived, there is no telling what he might have accomplished. Even so, he still believes he can keep ringing the chapel bell, and the fire in the belly is still pushing him toward more glory for his alma mater.
In Other News...
Georgia Has A New Reason To Be Furious With LSU
A Louisiana judges injunction has added another layer to the eligibility fight surrounding college football, and Georgia has every reason to watch it closely. The ruling lets certain players, including DaeQuan Wright, return to the sport despite NCAA concerns, after LSU used an eligibility loophole to bring in a player who had previously been under contract with the Cleveland Browns.
For Georgia, the issue goes beyond one roster move. Kirby Smart has already voiced concerns about how fair the ruling is, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has pushed back as well, putting the league squarely in the middle of the dispute. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also weighed in on social media in support of the SEC and the University of Georgia, underscoring how much this decision has resonated beyond Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Opener Could Hinge On One Early Problem They Must Avoid
Georgias opener figures to be shaped by the same basic traits that have driven Kirby Smarts best teams: clean football, early rhythm and a defense that keeps opponents from settling in. The Bulldogs have leaned on a strong turnover margin, fast starts, third-down stops and efficient, quick-hitting offense to control games before they can turn into uncomfortable slugfests. Even special teams matters here, because one mistake in that phase can undo a lot of the discipline Georgia usually tries to build into a game plan.
There is also some natural pressure on the offense to find its footing early after offseason turnover at receiver, which makes the opening script even more important. If Georgia can avoid the kind of early lapse that shifts momentum, it can play from ahead and keep the game on its terms. If it does not, the margin for error gets thinner in a hurry, especially against an opponent waiting for any sign of hesitation or frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Remember A Former Bulldogs Playmaker With A Complicated Legacy
Arthur Marshall, a former Georgia wide receiver who went on to play five NFL seasons with the Broncos and Giants, has died at 57 after battling stomach cancer. For Bulldogs fans who remember him as a versatile playmaker, Marshalls career was one of those unusual ones that still stands out years later, especially for the way he fit into an offense and found ways to make an impact beyond the usual receiver role.
Marshalls post-football life, though, carried a different kind of attention, as legal troubles eventually led to a federal prison sentence for bank fraud. His death leaves behind a complicated legacy for Georgia supporters, one that blends the memory of a gifted athlete with the sobering reality of how far a promising path can drift after the game ends. [Read more 🡒]