It was comical really. The University of Georgia went to great lengths to make it appear that the decision to hire Kirby Smart as its next football coach happened quickly and suddenly.
To go by the statements issued on Sunday, it seemed possible that the Alabama defensive coordinator simply bowled over the university president in their interview that morning, so much so that they needed to scribble out a six-year, $22.5 million agreement right there on a napkin.
No, the Bulldogs got their man on Sunday, but Smart was identified as such weeks ago, pursued, given assurances and, finally, announced. Smart’s selection was ratified by a vote of the executive committee of the Georgia Athletic Association board of directors via teleconference call at 12:40 p.m.
Even the dismissal of former Georgia coach Mark Richt one week ago can be traced to the desire to acquire the services of the 39-year-old UGA letterman from Bainbridge. Smart, Alabama's defensive coordinator the past eight years, has been one of the most sought-after head coaching candidates over the last couple years. South Carolina and Virginia Tech were among schools pursuing him last month.
“I’m honored and excited for the opportunity at Georgia and promise high energy, effort every day and hard work every minute on the part of all our coaches, staff and student-athletes,” Smart said in a statement.
Smart will be formally introduced at a news conference on the UGA campus at 12:30 p.m. Monday. He did not return messages seeking comment.
>> Smart set to return to where it all began
The school had great difficulty keeping its announcement under wraps. President Jere Morehead, chairman of the athletic association’s board of directors, was still taking roll of the executive membership when news of Smart’s appointment was posted on the athletic department’s website. That was eight minutes before the group made the hire official by unanimous vote.
The board approved a six-year contract that will pay him approximately $3.75 million per season, according to a memorandum of understanding. Mark Richt, who averaged 9.6 wins per year while coaching the Bulldogs for the past 15 years, made $4.1 million annually.
Smart has agreed to coach Alabama through the College Football Playoffs, which begin on New Year’s Eve and won’t end until Jan. 11. But he wasted no time getting to work for UGA. He visited five-star signee Ben Cleveland, an offensive lineman in Toccoa, on Sunday. He also contacted five-star athlete Demetris Robertson of Savannah on Sunday and planned to take a flight to Washington to meet with five-star quarterback prospect Jacob Eason on Monday.
Cleveland and Eason have signed non-binding grant-in-aid agreements and are slated to enroll at UGA in January.
>> Bradley: With Smart, UGA takes a bold step forward
“Very down to earth and high energy,” Derek Cleveland, Ben Cleveland’s father. “He has a great vision for UGA. We are very excited about him and extremely honored that he took the time to come see Ben this afternoon.”
In the meantime, Smart was busy trying to assemble his coaching staff. He is expected to assemble his staff from members of Georgia’s current staff, some coaches that he will bring with him from Alabama and others outside the region.
“I’m planning on staying, as far as I know,” said Tracy Rocker, the Bulldogs’ associate head coach who also coaches defensive line.
Georgia is preparing for a Jan. 2 bowl matchup against Penn State in Jacksonville at the Taxslayer Bowl (formerly known as Gator), which was announced Sunday. Assistant head coach/receivers coach Bryan McClendon will serve as Georgia’s interim head coach.
“It’s definitely been a little different. I will say that,” said McClendon, who was a player at Georgia in 2005 when Smart was on staff as running backs coach. “The one thing that hasn’t been different as far as everybody here is knowing it’s still all about the players. You just try to do everything you can to make sure those guys are OK.”
Smart, son high school football coach Sonny Smart, was recruited to play defensive back at Georgia by Ray Goff, then played three years under Jim Donnan. He was a team captain his senior year.
“Anytime any of your players have success it makes you happy,” said Donnan, who gave Smart his first job in coaching as a graduate assistant in 1999. “You hope you play a small role in their development. But the thing I liked about him from day one was how much he bought into the fact we’d made a change and he was all in. He was on top of things with the other kids and he did a good job of helping me out there. And he was a good player. I don’t think he’s gotten enough credit for the type of players he was.”
Smart finished his career with 13 interceptions, which ranks fourth all-time at Georgia. He was also a four-time member of the SEC academic honor roll. He is married to Mary Beth Lycett, who played basketball at Georgia. They have three children.
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