As much as Mark Richt’s dismissal was about what went wrong at Georgia, it was also about who might be available to replace him. And by all accounts, the primary target is Kirby Smart.
Smart, Alabama’s longtime defensive coordinator, would appear to be finally ready to leave Nick Saban’s coaching staff at Alabama for a head coaching job of his own. He had been approached by Virginia Tech about its vacancy — recently filled by Justin Fuente of Memphis — and in the last few weeks has become a primary target of South Carolina.
In all, there are more than a dozen head coaching vacancies in the Football Bowl Subdivision ranks. It was not until late Saturday night that it was determined that Les Miles would be back at LSU. But significant movement is expected in the coming weeks.
Smart is a UGA alumnus and football letterman. He played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995-98, serving as team captain his senior season. He was running backs coach at Georgia for one season under Richt (2005) but has been at Alabama with Saban since 2007, the last eight seasons as defensive coordinator. Bama has won three national championships during that time.
A native of Bainbridge, Smart has long recruited throughout Georgia with great success and is more than familiar with the SEC. At 39, he is at the optimum age to make the transition to head coach. People close to the Georgia football program who are acquainted with Smart said the Bulldogs could not afford to sit by as “one of their own” took another head coaching job, possibly with a rival program.
Said one source with knowledge of the situation, “This was all about Kirby.”
Should Smart choose to come, it’s thought he might bring some other UGA lettermen with him. Travis Jones is assistant head coach and defensive line coach with the Seattle Seahawks. Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp reportedly could also be approached about returning to Athens.
But there is no guarantee the Bulldogs would get Smart. Some at Georgia are concerned that he could decide to remain at Alabama with the hopes of succeeding the 64-year old Saban.
If Smart was unavailable, Dan Mullen is considered by several other knowledgeable insiders as a viable option. Mullen and Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity remain close friends after spending time together at Florida. McGarity was associate AD for 18 years and was there while Mullen was working as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator.
Unlike Smart, Mullen is proven as a head coach, going 54-35 in seven seasons at Mississippi State. He’s considered easy to work with and would bring a spread-option offensive attack to Athens.
If Smart chooses to stay at Alabama or goes elsewhere, there are several other candidates to whom the Bulldogs could turn:
- Mike Bobo, the Bulldogs' longtime offensive coordinator, who just completed his first regular season as head coach at Colorado State (7-5);
- Charlie Strong, the Texas head coach, who has struggled with the Longhorns but who also has a relationship with McGarity from Florida;
- Tom Herman, the first-year Houston head coach who came from the program at Ohio State.
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