Smart to be Georgia’s next head coach

According to Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Georgia is set to hire Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as its next head coach. The Gamecocks are searching for a successor to Steve Spurrier, who resigned October 13, while the Bulldogs are looking to replace Mark Richt.

Georgia won six SEC East titles and two SEC championships in Richt’s 15 seasons but hadn’t won the conference championship since 2005. He is from Bainbridge and was a UGA letterman (1995-98) and team captain as a senior.

Smart has worked for Alabama Coach Nick Saban as an assistant coach since 2007 and been defensive coordinator since 2008.

Smart has been mentioned for head coaching jobs in previous years, and the chance to lead his own SEC program might finally pull him away from Saban and Alabama.

Alabama assistant football coaches are off limits to the media during the season. Smart has plenty of talent returning but won’t get a prolonged honeymoon. He has compiled a 145-51 record in Athens and ranks second on Georgia’s all-time wins list. Both were longtime coordinators under successful head coaches – Richt having been an assistant under Bobby Bowden at Florida State for 11 years before taking the Georgia job. Throw in the Georgia ties and his familiarity with Georgia’s recruiting territory, and it is a natural fit. Various rumors had him in play as the new head coach at Tennessee, Kentucky, and Auburn.

When Steve Spurrier abruptly retired in October, most stopped to reminisce about a true college football original’s career come to a sudden, but not unexpected end.

The entire chain of events is a big risk. Richt was let go despite winning an average of nine games per season in his tenure.