Kirby Smart didn’t need much prompting to talk about Ray Lamb. The Georgia coach has carried the memory of the longtime high school and UGA football figure for years, and Lamb’s death last week at 90 brought those memories rushing back.
Smart’s connection to Lamb goes back to the early days of his own coaching life, when he was an administrative assistant at Georgia after his playing career ended. He was still finding his way then, and Lamb was one of the people who helped point him in the right direction.
"I was a GA here, and I went to eat lunch with [Lamb] and [longtime Mary Persons head coach] Dan Pitts at The Varsity," Smart said. "It was the highlight of my week to go eat at The Varsity with those two guys as a young coach and be around somebody that was a mentor, a Christian man, just a great human being."
Lamb’s impact stretched far beyond that lunch table. He won three state championships during a 32-year run as a high school head coach, with stops at Warren County and Commerce, before spending 18 years as Georgia’s coordinator for high school relations.
He also helped shape a football family that has kept producing coaches. Sons Bobby and Hal Lamb both played for him at Commerce, where Bobby was the quarterback and Hal was a wide receiver.
They were part of Commerce’s 1981 state title team. Bobby went on to coach at Furman and Mercer and now leads Anderson University’s program.
Hal spent 22 seasons as a head coach at Upson-Lee and Calhoun, going 238-52 at Calhoun and winning three state titles.
The next generation has followed the same path. Tre Lamb, Hal’s son, is in his second season at Tulsa after previous head coaching jobs at East Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb. Taylor Lamb, Bobby’s son, is Virginia’s quarterbacks coach.
After Georgia’s win over Oklahoma on Saturday, Smart again spoke about what Lamb meant to him and to football in the state.
"He's a legend in our state," Smart said of Lamb. "His sons and daughters have littered the state with coaching staffs.
He's got a grandson that's coaching, and they're doing a great job at college coaching. We all know, and very near and dear to our hearts, Coach Lamb.
He meant a lot to us, so I want to think about his family and the passing they had here recently."
Smart said his bond with Lamb began during his playing days, when he viewed Lamb as a second father. He also pointed to Lamb’s role as a steady example for countless Georgia kids who needed one.
And when Smart looked at Lamb’s long run on Georgia’s staff, he saw the clearest sign of all.
"He worked on Jim Donnan's staff, he worked with Ray Goff, he worked with Mark Richt," Smart said. "Nobody felt like he was loyal to one person. He was loyal to Georgia."
In Other News...
Georgia Vanderbilt Week Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Expected
Georgias buildup to Vanderbilt took a familiar turn this week, with the focus shifting as much to the Commodores quarterback situation as to the matchup itself. Jared Curtis has been listed as questionable because of injury, and the timing matters because Georgia is trying to get ready for an opponent whose offensive ceiling could change depending on who is available under center. The betting line has already nudged in Georgias direction, a sign the market is reacting to the uncertainty as much as the matchup on the field.
There was also some off-field clarity for Bulldogs fans on the recruiting front. Five-star running back Kemon Spell publicly reiterated that he remains committed to Georgia, pushing back on reports tying him to other programs. For a fan base that is tracking both the immediate schedule and the next wave of talent, it is a welcome update even as the Vanderbilt week carries a little more intrigue than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Is Getting Early Vindication On His Most Criticized Move
Mike Bobos latest contract extension comes with the kind of early-season momentum that tends to quiet a loud debate around Athens. Georgias offense is putting up points at a rate that has it sitting atop college football, and the burst has been fueled in part by a pair of young wide receivers, Talyn Taylor and Craig Dandridge, stepping into prominent roles. For a staff that has asked for patience while the unit found its footing, the results have offered a strong opening argument.
Still, the real test for Bobo has never been September efficiency. Since he took over the offense, Georgia has not won a College Football Playoff game, and that postseason burden continues to hang over the conversation even as the regular-season production looks sharper. The extension signals confidence from Kirby Smart, but the lingering question is whether this version of the offense can carry Georgia when the stakes rise and the calendar turns toward playoff football. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia May Make The Easy Call With Nate Frazier
Nate Fraziers status is shaping up to be one of Georgias bigger pregame storylines this week after the starting running back missed the previous game against Oklahoma and is now listed as questionable for Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs have enough bodies in the backfield to get by without rushing him back, which gives the staff some flexibility as it weighs whether there is any real need to push him before he is fully ready.
With Alabama and a tougher stretch looming, Georgia may decide the smart move is simply to protect Frazier and keep the larger picture in mind. His availability against Vanderbilt is expected to come down to a game-time decision, and for a team with depth at the position, that could make the easy call even easier. [Read more 🡒]