(OT) SHOCKING NEWS: Georgia to name Kirby Smart as head coach
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14269857/georgia-bulldog…
This is of course is a shocking development. In all seriousness, we all saw it coming.
This is step one of my prediction...
- Kirby Smart to Georgia
- Mark Richt to Miami
- Jeremy Pruitt (if he doesn't get the S. Carolina head job) to Bama as DC
Obvious coaching hires if you ask me...
December 1st, 2015 at 10:45 PM ^
Saban asked McElwain to stay through their season before heading to Florida. I'll be interested to see if Smart stays through the CFP, especially since Jacob Eason wants to enroll early. My bet is Smart leaves after Atlanta.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:49 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 5:37 AM ^
Asked McElwain to stay through the playoff before he left for CSU. How's that?
December 1st, 2015 at 10:30 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:40 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 10:31 PM ^
Good prediction MY...speaks well of the Saban coaching tree that schools want his people.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:38 PM ^
The main question now is how this affects Nauta and Hardman. I'm guessing Hardman will like this move but not sure about Nauta. My have to wait and see who he brings on as OC.
December 1st, 2015 at 10:49 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:00 PM ^
UGA gets Kirby Smart
— Mecole Hardman Jr. (@iiAm_Mesho) December 2, 2015
December 2nd, 2015 at 12:02 AM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 11:00 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 11:04 PM ^
Wouldn't hurt to have that HC experience, even if it's bad experience on the coaching staff.
Per @FootballScoop, new #UGA HC Kirby Smart wants to bring in Muschamp as his DC. pic.twitter.com/rCFc49FkkB
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) December 2, 2015
December 2nd, 2015 at 12:34 AM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:12 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:53 PM ^
That's what I don't think people understand...there are more "good jobs" out there than their are good coaches to fill them.
There are exactly 3 elite coaches in college football. You add Chip Kelly and maaaaybe you get a 4th. Maybe.
- Michigan
- OSU
- Penn St.
- ND
- Florida
- FSU
- Bama
- LSU
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- USC
- UCLA
I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but I just rattled off the first 15 that popped in my head. 15 elite coaching jobs and you only have 3 elite coaches. Not everyone is going to get Saban, Meyer or Harbaugh.
After that, you have Dabo who isn't leaving Clemson unless it's to go to Bama and replace Saban. You have Jimbo Fisher who isn't leaving FSU unless it's to go to LSU and replace Miles.
After that? You're looking at a bunch of what you already had in Richt. Guys like Dantonio, Kelly, Shaw, Miles, Gundy, Patterson, Briles, Stoops, Sumlin, etc. ---- there isn't much seperation between those guys and some of their success depends on where they are. They're not like the Big 3 that could win in Maine if given the time.
Dantonio was an elite DC for a top program at one time.
So if you've fired that 3rd tier of very solid coaches...taking Smart isn't a letdown. He's got pedigree from an elite guy and the last guy from that same dynasty was smoke and mirrored his way into an SEC Championship to face his former mentor.
You're hiring an alum, so you get the Harbaugh effect to a small extent.
You're hiring an elite coordinator who's proven himself in your conference...why not take a chance to see if he can be the next elite head coach? I don't see him getting to Georgia and them being WORSE, I just don't know if he can make them better...but if a chance was needed, they could do far worse than Kirby Smart.
December 2nd, 2015 at 12:05 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 2:55 AM ^
But again, you just had that in Richt. Is David Shaw an upgrade from Mark Richt? They're kind of the same thing.
So you try and hit with the unknown thinking you can get something better. Saban/Meyer/Harbaugh all had to start somewhere. Jimbo Fisher was an OC at LSU and FSU not too long ago.
So I think the thought process is we know that we have in those coaches...let's go unknown and see if we can't get better because we feel good that at worse, he'll be at that Dantonio/Shaw/Richt level we're already used to.
I mean, I don't know...I'm not in that room making that decision. I can only assume.
But you're correct, Smart isn't that level of a coach - at least not now. But if you feel he's got that potential or better, you have to start somewhere.
I think it's a solid hire, but I don't think in 5 years we're going to be talking about Saban/Harbaugh/Meyer/Smart either.
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:29 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 12:12 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 12:22 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 2:49 AM ^
I would too...like I said, it's what popped in my head (that said Miami doesn't pay shit and their facilities suck and no one goes to the games...it's not as good of a job as the program is prestigous - which is because of its success)
December 2nd, 2015 at 1:02 AM ^
I think I'd put Stoops in his own level just a tad lower than Meyer/Saban but above your Richt,, Shaw, Gundy, etc. Stoops has a NC, coached in 4 BCS title games and has won 9 Big 12 titles. I realize that most of the guys you grouped with Stoops haven't coached as long as Stoops has but Stoops accomplishments are pretty fricking good.
December 2nd, 2015 at 2:50 AM ^
He should be in the Jimbo/Dabo level.
I was going off a previous I conversation in the ND/Stanford game...if you just look at the time when Shaw's been a head coach. Stoops and Shaw would be on the same level. If you open it up a little longer, Stoops obviously continues to pile on the wins and the hardware which would bump his profile in this discussion.
Good call.
December 2nd, 2015 at 5:23 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^
How did you pick those programs as "elite?"
Right off the top, I don't think you can count Auburn or UCLA as elite since that job will never be as attrative as their instate rival, so therefore, how can you list them in the same category?
Michigan, OSU, Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Texas are really the only programs that I would consider "elite" in college football.
And I'm not sure if you can list Harbaugh in the same category as Meyer or Saban yet. Those guys have each won multiple titles at multiple schools. They are clearly in their own category.
December 2nd, 2015 at 2:44 AM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:29 PM ^
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December 1st, 2015 at 11:43 PM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 12:17 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^
They're basically making the same hire that they made with Richt, just on the other side of the ball. Prior to UGA, Richt had been wrecking face at FSU as Bobby Bowden's OC. FSU got all the talent and was the reigning dynasty at the time (sound familiar?)
Hopefully this means that Saban hires Alabama Jeff Bowden and craters the program.
December 2nd, 2015 at 2:41 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 8:26 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 3:40 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 5:45 AM ^
Never complain about previous experiences on the blog.
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December 2nd, 2015 at 6:04 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
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December 2nd, 2015 at 8:33 AM ^
The MGoMarket determines what is and is not an acceptable title. This did not get downvoted, therefore it is acceptable.
December 2nd, 2015 at 5:52 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 8:41 AM ^
December 2nd, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
Different era's. The Browns had made the playoffs 5 of the 6 previous years before Belichick took over.
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^
Smart! He played at Georgia, has said Georgia was his dream job, can recruit with the best of them. Has ties all over the south. His defenses have been amazing (This may have come from Saban but let's give some credit when we know it is due) and he has an excellent last name for headlines. Easy decision.
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:27 AM ^
I was reading the AJC story earlier - Smart hasn't signed a memorandum of understanding yet, but this is essentially thought to be as good as done with an announcement pending after the SEC Championship Game, at least according to them. I like how they called this a "healing" hire for UGA, but then I believe Smart actually played for the Bulldogs, so perhaps that's part of that.
December 2nd, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
On an unrelated note, does anyone remember when Jeremy Pruitt was the DC for Hoover when they were on that show Two-a-Days like 10 years ago?
December 2nd, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^