Kirby Smart is taking an unusual route to set the tone for Georgia, and this one reaches beyond football. At SEC Media Days, Smart said the Bulldogs will be looking at the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of their early motivational theme.
That might sound like a strange crossover at first, but Smart tied it directly to the kind of team he wants Georgia to be. He said, "it's very unique what the Thunder was doing when they won the championship, leading in so many categories, most importantly selflessness.”
That word - selflessness - fits the way Georgia has operated under Smart. The Bulldogs have spent the past decade as one of college football’s elite programs by leaning into a team-first identity, not by chasing individual shine.
Even with all that success, Georgia still has not produced a Heisman winner. Stetson Bennett came closest in 2022 as a finalist, and the 2021 defense was so dominant that none of those players led the NCAA in any individual statistical category.
The Thunder are serving as the NBA version of that idea. Oklahoma City won its first NBA championship just a year ago, and Smart is pointing to the way that team spread the wealth.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the league MVP, but he has averaged no less than 5 assists a game the past three seasons. Oklahoma City also finished second in the league in average assists per game in the postseason a few months ago.
Georgia has used themes like this before, and they’ve stuck. The 2021 and 2022 teams leaned on "Nobody Believes in Us" and "Keep Chopping Wood" to build a locker room built on resilience and togetherness. Now Smart is trying to find the next message that can carry the Bulldogs into 2026, and this Thunder comparison could be the start of it.
In Other News...
Falcons Just Passed On A Stetson Bennett Chance Georgia Fans Wanted
Stetson Bennetts NFL path has taken him far from Athens, and his name still carries a different kind of weight for Georgia fans who watched him win big in red and black. Now in the final year of his rookie contract with the Rams and still looking for a starting opportunity, Bennett remains the sort of quarterback some in Georgia would love to see get another real chance, especially with his college rsum still fresh in memory.
Atlantas quarterback situation briefly opened the door for that kind of reunion talk, but the Falcons have already made a different call. After using a first-round pick on Ty Simpson in the 2026 NFL Draft, they reportedly do not view Bennett as part of their future plans, which makes the latest move around their injured quarterback room feel like a missed opportunity to plenty of Bulldogs supporters. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Just Did A Georgia Champion Dirty In Brutal Move
Kenny McIntoshs NFL path has been defined by stops and starts since Seattle drafted the former Georgia running back, and injuries have kept him from ever really getting a foothold. The ex-Bulldogs standout has flashed enough to keep teams interested, but his pro career has been slowed by limited availability and a modest workload when he has been on the field.
Now, after the July 2026 move to waive him, McIntosh is headed into waivers and waiting to see whether another team is willing to take a chance on his talent and recovery. For Georgia fans, it is another reminder of how quickly a promising NFL opportunity can turn uncertain, especially for a player whose next chapter still depends on what the rest of the league decides to do. [Read more 🡒]