The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Too soon to crown UGA's Smart
Win in title game won’t unseat Saban at top of profession.
When Kirby Smart returned to his alma mater, he already had a pretty good template for success.
He might as well have been wearing a wrist band with the letters “WWND.” What Would Nick Do? In two years, Smart has taken Georgia to the cusp of its first national championship since 1980, largely by following the process laid out by his former boss, Alabama’s Nick Saban.
Perhaps it’s only fitting that to win the title, Smart will have to beat the man who taught him so well.
Bring it on, says Saban, in the twilight of his career but still on top of his game.
“I have a lot of respect for all the guys that worked for me,” the Crimson Tide coach said. “I’m happy to see them doing well wher- ever they go, and when we have to play against them, I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to beat us for their team and their play- ers. We’re going to do the same with our players. It’s not personal.”
While some would have you believe this is one of those potential changing-ofthe-guard games, let’s not get
ahead of ourselves. Saban hasn’t stared down a true coaching peer in the Southeastern Conference since Urban Meyer left Florida, and it would be foolish to anoint Smart to fill that role even if Georgia defeats the Crimson Tide in Monday night’s national championship game.
Saban’s greatness is in the longevity.
It will take more than one title to take down perhaps the greatest coach in college football history.
Like the man at the helm, Saban’s program is a self-perpetuating behemoth that never sits still. His dynasty has endured for a full decade in an era of increased parity because it never takes time to revel in its accomplish- ments. Any celebrations are fleeting. When there’s a rare stumble along the way, he always gets right back up.
Win or lose, Saban will go to work Tuesday with the same mindset, singularly focused on what it will take to build his next champion- ship team. At 66, he shows no signs of slowing down, no signs of being the least bit satisfied with what he’s accomplished, no signs of loosening his grip over every little aspect of his program.
Those are lessons that Smart surely learned well during 11 seasons spent on Saban’s staff — mostly at
Alabama, where he earned enough trust to be anointed coordinator of Saban’s fear- some defenses. “It’s a demanding approach of never, literally never, taking your foot off the accelerator,” said ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who will be part of the broadcast team for the title game. “They do a good job of loving on the guys when it’s the training table or you’re in the locker room or whatever. But as far as when it’s time to work, man, it’s unlike any other place you go as far as how demanding Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are, and how involved they are.”
If imitation is the sincer- est form of flattery, Smart certainly came across as a Saban clone as soon as he was handed the keys to the Bulldogs, a sleeping giant of a program.
But Smart knew the real key to Saban’s success.
“Recruiting really good players that are really big and really fast,” Smart said. “Then you have to block them, OK, or you have to be able to run the ball against them or you have to be able to defend the wideouts and the corner. It comes down to a lot more than his tendencies because his tendencies are very similar to a lot of good coaches: smart, good decisions, protect the ball, play great defense, kick your butt on special teams.”
When Smart got to Geor- gia, he saw a roster that was talented at the skill positions but lacking in the trenches. He made it a priority to sign big, strong, quick lineman on both sides of the ball,
knowing that’s the founda- tion of any great program.
For good measure, Smart’s also had stunning success recruiting the most important position on the field. After taking over for Mark Richt, the new coach persuaded top quarterback recruit Jacob Eason to stay in the fold. He landed another five-star pros
pect in Jake Fromm, who wound up claiming the job when Eason was hurt in the season opener. Now, even though Fromm is seemingly
set for at least next two years (Eason will almost surely transfer), Georgia picked off the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect, Jus
tin Fields, in an early signing class that was a consensus choice as the best in the country.
There’s no longer any doubt that Georgia made
the right call with its decision to dump Richt, trading in a really good coach for a potentially great one. Smart shows no signs of becoming another Jim McElwain, a former Saban coordinator who got off to a strong start at Florida but flamed out in less than three seasons.
Can Smart become the new king of the SEC?
Get back to us in a few years on that one.