Georgia’s Kirby Smart makes his stance on SEC secession from the NCAA clear

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Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made it clear this week that he’d be open to the SEC charting its own course if college athletics can’t find more consistent leadership moving forward.

Speaking during the SEC spring meetings, Smart said he has long supported the idea of the conference operating independently if schools continue running into roadblocks when it comes to rules, governance and enforcement. As issues around NIL, transfers and eligibility continue to evolve, he said the lack of clarity has become difficult to manage.

“I’ve said this for a long time to our president,” Smart said. “I’ve been a huge advocate that if we can’t find rules that everybody plays by, then we should play our own. I’m not afraid of that. I’m not afraid to break away and say that our conference is strong enough to go out and play…

“I mean, if we could actually function, and it financially would make our programs more stable and we could support things financially – I’m talking about all the sports – and do by our own rules, I’d be all for that. I mean, I’ve been to this meeting now 10, 11 times, and it’s frustrating at times to say, ‘Well, we can’t do this because of litigation … we can’t do this because we’ll get sued, we can’t do that.’”

Georgia president Jere Morehead shared a similar view, saying the idea would create major interest across college football.

“I think that would be fantastic,” Morehead said. “I can’t imagine the ratings if that happened. Georgia-Alabama SEC championship last year had ratings through the roof. Imagine if that had been for the national championship? I think our fanbase is strong across the country. I think we’d have tremendous interest in a situation of that nature. But, again, I’m going to be listening to the commissioner.”

While the idea remains hypothetical, Smart’s comments added another public voice to a conversation that continues to linger around the sport’s future.

That broader uncertainty stretches beyond conference governance, too. Georgia has also been in recent discussions with Clemson regarding the future of the teams’ football series, with possible changes to the 2029 and 2030 games reportedly on the table. For programs like Georgia and Clemson, it’s another reminder of how much of college football remains in flux.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Kirby Smart wants the SEC out of the NCAA? What Georgia’s coach had to say

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