Georgia’s Kirby Smart Delivers College Football’s Best Quote on Monday
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Kirby Smart and the No. 3 seed Georgia Bulldogs are in the process of preparing for their College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchup at the Sugar Bowl against the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels.
Other coaches around the country are focused on roster preservation ahead of the college football transfer portal’s opening on Jan. 2. As for Smart and the Bulldogs, they are taking it one step at a time.
In fact, when speaking to the media on Monday ahead of the Sugar Bowl, the 52-year-old head coach revealed just how disgusted he is with the current state of college football. Some players are announcing their intentions to transfer before the portal opens, while others are announcing they have agreed to new deals with their programs. Instead of making those announcements, Smart made it clear that he thinks players should focus on developing rather than the money aspect of the sport.
“Everybody’s announcing what they’re doing,” Smart said. “I’m announcing that I’m going in the portal. I’m announcing that I’m re-signing. How about you announce that you’re getting better and you’re going to practice and, like, actually do what the 20 and 30 years of college football players did before you, which was practice in December when they’re on good teams, and get better?”
With so many coaches worried about keeping players happy, Smart made it clear that he’s focused on the upcoming matchup with the Rebels.
“No, I mean, we’re focused on this team,” Smart said. “I think it would be remiss to say that we’re focused on roster management. We’re not focused on it.”
Back in November, Smart attacked the NIL culture in college football, expressing that Georgia is built on culture and physicality rather than money chasing in another iconic quote after the team’s 35-10 win over Texas.
“We build our core culture around being the more physical team.” Smart said. “A lot of these kids want a check. They don’t want physicality. If you have the check and no physicality, you end with nothing. You’re not just getting checks at our place. We’re hitting people.”
With Smart and the Bulldogs focused on the task at hand, they seem fully capable of winning their third title since 2021.
The Dawgs and Rebs will face off on Jan. 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Related: Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Makes Coaching Decision Before Miami Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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