Kirby Smart’s methods face even more scrutiny this season

TAMPA, Fla. — Tuesday morning, Kirby Smart told the masses at SEC media days that he’s not afraid to make changes if necessary.

We might be one suboptimal autumn in Athens from learning the true depth of that boldness.

It always feels a little overboard to poke holes in Smart’s leadership of Georgia, even if it has failed to produce a national championship in — aiyee! — three years.

But getting bounced out of the College Football Playoff in the quarterfinals two years in a row has a way of fanning the ire of a fanbase that has come to demand more after Smart’s back-to-back national championships.

Recruiting, coaching staff, NIL operations, on-field tactics — Smart might have to make fundamental shifts in how he runs the Georgia football machine if results don’t improve.

“I’m not afraid to change what we need to change to be successful,” Smart said in response to a question about how the changing landscape of college football had altered coaches’ ability to lead programs.

It wouldn’t be difficult to find die-hard Bulldogs supporters who believe that time has already arrived, whether it’s their frustration with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo or the drop-off in recruiting.

And if the season fails to meet lofty expectations, those would be the most obvious areas to change.

Tuesday, it didn’t sound like Smart thinks those are problem areas.

He touted Georgia’s commitment to recruiting high school prospects, particularly those from within state boundaries, over depending on the transfer portal for talent.

“We still believe in the high school philosophy,” he said.

But as of Tuesday, Georgia had received only one commitment from the state’s top 10 prospects (per 247Sports Composite) in the 2027 class, an atypically light yield.

Overall, Georgia’s class ranks 12th, after finishing sixth in 2026. Between 2017 and 2025, it was never lower than fourth.

Smart also found himself having to somewhat defend Bobo more than a month before the first snap. (The question to Smart was how media should talk about Bobo, which felt a little bit like, “We’re not sold on your guy, but you’re welcome to speak in his defense.”)

Smart’s response was that Bobo is the right offensive coordinator for Georgia and that he (Bobo) doesn’t worry about statistics.

“He worries about winning football games, and the way he coaches our players day to day is unmatched in the country,” Smart said.

Smart has been willing to make adjustments before. But he also has kept his staff largely unchanged since 2022. He has maintained the same strategy toward NIL of paying based on production rather than spending big to win recruiting battles.

Would Smart be willing to alter his approach if results don’t improve?

In so many words, he said he would. It’s why Georgia conducted an offseason study of the NBA powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder, much like Smart had players learn from the example of the New Zealand men’s rugby team in 2023.

“We’re always trying to grow in our program,” he said. “We don’t want to stay the same.”

It’s not like the Bulldogs are running on flat tires. You might remember Georgia won the SEC title in 2024 and 2025 and is one of four teams to make the CFP both seasons (along with Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana).

It’s hardly beyond the scope of possibility to think Georgia can recapture glory with Smart’s present methods.

But Smart himself acknowledged the Bulldogs fell short in those seasons. “We have not had our best performances when we needed them most,” he said in reference to Sugar Bowl losses to Notre Dame and Ole Miss.

If the Bulldogs win a third consecutive SEC title but are knocked out again in a closely played CFP quarterfinal, a reasonable person could call the season a success and determine the team doesn’t need a shake-up.