Kirby Smart’s impact on players participating in Super Bowl LIII goes far beyond former UGA star and Patriots rookie Sony Michel.
A fair of former defensive players from Alabama, where Smart spent nine seasons as defensive coordinator before becoming Georgia’s head coach in December of 2015, had nothing but praise for Smart in the days leading up to Super Bowl 53 Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dont’a Hightower of the Patriots and Mark Barron of the Rams both played for Smart at Al
“He’s a great coach. A lot of things he’s doing at Georgia, I wouldn’t expect any different,” said Dont’a Hightower of the Patriots. “He’s very devoted to his players.”
Hightower was selcted in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft and has become a stalwart defensive standout in New England. He made key defensive stops in both of New England’s two Super Bowl wins in 2014 and 16.
“He taught me so much of what I know about football today,” said Mark Barron of the Rams. “That’s my guy. It really was just a matter of time before he became a great head coach.”
Barron — who moved from safety to linebacker once he got in the NFL — knows Smart perhaps better than any player. Smart was his position coach at Alabama in addition to serving as the defensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide.
Hightower likewise expected Smart to continue to be a great head coach, citing that he passed up multiple offers to remain at Alabama until the right job opened up.
The former Crimson Tide star even joked that it takes a special coach to stay with Nick Saban for as long as he did.
“I didn’t expect anything different. Kirby and Nick are two great guys,” Hightower said. “I used to love seeing them go at it in the meeting room, and it’s not any different now with him at Georgia.”
Michel also spoke highly of Smart and mentioned that he and Smart talked throughout the season, even though both had full schedules. Michel also gave an endorsement to new offensive coordinator James Coley, who replaced Jim Chaney as the offensive coordinator.
New England center David Andrews didn’t play for Smart but did say that Georgia has been great to him as he continues to come back. Andrews highlighted that Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman treats him as if he is one of his former players.
Andrews and Michel make up a total of four former Bulldogs in the Super Bowl, which is tied with Rutgers for the most among any college. That doesn’t include offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, who was a first round draft pick by the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL Draft.
And if they keep ending up like Michel, Hightower expects to see a lot more Georgia players in the years to come under Smart.
“I haven’t been around too many bad Georgia guys in the NFL,” Hightower said. “And as long as they keep coming in like this, I’ll be fine with it.”
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