Kirby Smart In Favor Of SEC Breaking Away From The NCAA

Kirby Smart In Favor Of SEC Breaking Away From The NCAA

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Kirby Smart In Favor Of SEC Breaking Away From The NCAA

It looks like SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey isn't the only big name in the conference pining for a breakaway from the rest of college athletics. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is apparently right there with him.

The two-time national champion was asked about Sankey's recent comments on breaking away from everyone else. Smart admitted that he's been thinking about that for a while too.

"Yeah, I've actually been there for a long time,” he said, via On3's Brett McMurphy.

Fans Call Them Cowards

College football fans aren't exactly applauding the SEC for expressing interest in leaving the NCAA rather than enduring and trying to improve. Just about everyone dismissed the suggestion as something that is far more likely to destroy the conference than give them what they want.

"Why don't they realize they are writing the first line of their obituary?" one user on X remarked.

"I'm so sick of the SEC's whining and entitlement, F*** em, just let em. Leave. Get out. They already act like the SEC champion is the de facto national champion anyway, just let them go off into their own little fantasy world of superiority that they already believe anyway," wrote another.

"Kirby needs to quit then. It’s stupid.. if it ever happens I’ll never watch another sec game," a third wrote.

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart congratulates tight end Oscar Delp (4) and linebacker Quintavius Johnson (33) after a play against the Mississippi Rebels in the second quarter during the 2025 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images© Amber Searls-Imagn Images.

"Such a dumb pathetic short sighted idea. SEC heads really can’t comprehend that all top4 conferences are much more even on the field than media narratives want to tell people. SEC also isn’t the same beast in nil era. It would be so stupid & unrealistic for sec to form own league."

Even if it doesn't happen – and there's still a chasm of space between talking about it and working for it – the fact that the SEC is even considering this is going to result in a ton of backlash over the next few weeks and months.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Jul 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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