The search firm must have worked fast. Numerous outlets are reporting that the hire of Kirby Smart is a done deal.
Barring a last-minute snag in negotiations, Alabama’s Kirby Smart will become Georgia’s new football coach. An announcement could come as soon as Sunday or Monday.
The answer to the $64000 question isn’t known yet.
Smart will bring in his own staff, but is expected to retain defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
No doubt there will be more dribbling out soon.
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UPDATE: My favorite part…
According to several people in the industry, Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity made calls Monday and Tuesday inquiring about candidates but the impression left by those conversations was that Georgia is not seriously considering anyone but Smart while running out the clock until he can officially be named Georgia’s coach.
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UPDATE #2: Seth Emerson has some speculation about the new staff here. Obviously, Cochran coming would be a huge deal for Georgia.
Get The Picture 
NOW what are you going to bitch about Bulldog Nation?
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there’s always Jimmy….
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Basketball?
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First loss by new coach… always a favorite!
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There are thoughts on who the DC might be, but not hearing anything on a potential OC. Anyone hearing who he’s close to?
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Helton from Western Kentucky. It is pretty much a done deal.
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Is this good news?
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He’s not Brian Schottenheimer.
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That’s a good start.
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Hell yes. That WKU offense is unstoppable
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Unstoppable?
WKU 0 7 6 7 20
LSU 7 7 20 14 48
Not sure I’d go that far.
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His offense was 10th nationally, Derek.
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yeah, but this one goes to 11…
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Against what competition Chili?
Stats don’t impress me. Show me a team that can catch up when behind and grind out a game with a lead.
Show me an offense that doesn’t struggle the second it meets equal or better personnel like I don’t know let’s say LSU. That will impress me. Statistics never will.
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“Show me a team that can catch up when behind and grind out a game with a lead. Show me an offense that doesn’t struggle the second it meets equal or better personnel like I don’t know let’s say LSU.”
How do you reconcile this with your love of Mark Richt’s coaching? He was the antithesis of all of this and then some. Jeez
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No shit, right?
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Don’t you have some North Carolina gear to buy? Or are you waiting for the bowl match up before you gear up for the opposition?
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There were plenty of times that we could both catch up and hold a lead under Richt. We came from behind plenty and we salted away a bunch of games with a lead. I also think that we struggled mightily against better talent when our qb situation wasn’t good. When we had decent quarterbacking we pretty much had a shot against anybody. Remember david Greene taking more sacks than anyone in the sec AND we win the east? I do.
CMR’s failing and undoing was the inexplicable face plants. Who knows the cause of those but it wasn’t tactics.
You watch gus get a lead. The offense comes to a grinding halt. You can’t have that if you want to win big. I’ll accept that moron from tuscaloosa’s point of view who hasn’t won a damn thing that being physical is important to winning football. You can stand next to all of mike leach’s national championships he’s won with that effeminate offense of his. Excuse me if I think Saban’s steamroller offensive line and pounding the ball when you can is a better idea.
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I will note that you have to go all the way back to David Greene for your example. That pretty much sums up the Mark Richt bull case – focus on 2005 and earlier, forget the last 10 years. Well done, sir.
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Unless, of course, you’re getting pounded in the National Championship playoff game by tOSU. Corch wasn’t using pro style against Smart’s defense.
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No kidding. Hahahaha.
At best, a CMR offense was “get a small lead and then lean on the defense to hold onto it.”
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Hahaha!! That’s so stupid and wrong and funny and silly and inaccurate and implies only 2015 exists hahaha how stupid are you! funny you’re dumb lol stupid moron! Lmao. Highest winning percentage at UGA ever cause offense always sucked!! Haha. What a fucking idiot you are! How can anybody be this stupid? Where did you get the lobotomy? So funny can’t stop laughing! Hahahhah. Lmao!!!
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Yeah and WKU even out recruits those crap SEC teams
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Yes. His offense this year was outstanding.
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Doesn’t Helton run an Air Raid/spread offense at WKU? It would be a surprise for Kirby to go in that direction since just about everywhere he has coached has run pro style offense, UGA has always been a pro style school in the modeen era, and the #1 pro style QB in America is sitting there waiting to be reassured that he he can still enroll here next month and have as good a chance to groom himself to become a pro prospect as anywhere else.
Not saying that Helton definitely wouldnt happen, as nobody knows. Just saying I’d be surprised.
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But has the pro-style, balanced offense really worked at Alabama? I mean surely they haven’t been as successful as say WKU or Washington State have they? Look at the stats! Who cares about championships when STATS!!!!
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He combines it with pro style concepts as well, so I don’t think Eason would be too uncomfortable in it.
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http://www.wkusports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/tyson_helton_881936.html
Don’t worry about where he was born. He grew up in Texas.
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Hell to the yeah! The future is so bright, UGA X is going to have to wear shades.
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Fuck yeah.
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Just so you two know…even the Richt ‘supporters’ are with you on that.
Go Dawgs.
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And there is this…
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
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See? Now we can all be friends again! I’ve been looking forward to this day for six years. Come here everyone, group hug!
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Friends is a little strong. 🙂
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C’mahnn….c’mahnmmmmm! Bring it in!
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Those were supposed to be more “n’s” not m’s. That looks like I was tasting you. Ewww.
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How long before you’re pulling for the gators, auburn and tech to beat us again?
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Any speculation as to what a “snag in the negotiations” might mean…like I can hire my own staff, Greg?
In other words no deal is done, despite what we say, because…negotiations?
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The snag is how quickly can they fire McGoo.
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He may never have more leverage than right now. He should be asking for everything because McGarity’s Plan B is Dan Mullen.
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Kirby Smart could be the next coming of Bear Bryant, but what a god awful hire. McGarity is really, really bad at his job.
Not just a coordinator, but a coordinator for the same side of the ball as his head coach. This ain’t Stoops from under Spurrier, or Richt from under Bowden, this is a total wild card hired for one of the worst of all possible reasons: ties to the university.
Why bother wasting hope on something that has at least an 80% chance of failure? Not a healthy way to live.
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Geezus, man. Why do you follow college football?
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Because we had Mark Richt for 15 years. Every year we had a 50/50 shot at a top 10 team at the end of the season, and a 30/70 shot at being the conversation for a national title at the end of the year.
We traded that for the mystery box. What an incomprehensibly dumb trade.
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30/70?
More like we had a pathetic 2 chances of backing our way into the NC game. But don’t ever forget Richt’s best 4 teams lost to far superior opponents. But at least we had faith in God!
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:sarcasm font:
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I was in favor of replacing Richt but Smart was my fear. Why go with a coach that is an unknown assistant who works for coach that holds such tight leashes on his assistants?
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But he could be the next coming of Bear Bryant. As you said. For this brief moment, let’s all quit bitching, close our eyes and hope that’s the case.
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Why? If this makes Georgia better, it will be pure luck. Look, I’m not dumb, I know that everyone angry about Richt’s firing will consolidate around the new coach. I’ve seen it at Tennessee, Florida and Auburn enough times in the last decade.
And I know why, we want to look forward to the next football season. I really do sympathize with that, that is what college football is for.
But I can’t do it, I can’t make myself dumb enough to believe that there is a decent chance that this staff will be better than the one which preceded it. So instead, I will hope that McGarity at least meets his deserved fate when the more likely scenario plays out.
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What’s done is done. You gave it, what, a one in five chance of working out? That isn’t the worst odds in the world. Georgia’s overdue for some luck. This weeping and gnashing of teeth is just gonna wear your teeth down.
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If only that was how luck worked. If a coin flip comes up heads 10 times, it’s still only a 50/50 shot the next time.
And we aren’t due for luck on HC hires. Our last guy was the best one in program history 😦
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2nd best.
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Best.
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“I will hope that McGarity at least meets his deserved fate when the more likely scenario plays out”
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Bear Bryant was a HC prior to being hired at Bama
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“Why bother wasting hope on something that has at least an 80% chance of failure? Not a healthy way to live”
the essence of being a fan
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It is, isn’t it?
Christ, maybe I’m just not cut out for it.
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Go away.
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Oh, come now, you of all people should be able to deal with it. You got what you wanted. Our ‘mediocre’ coach was fired, and Kirby Smart will obviously be superior, right? If I suggest that it is far more likely that we just hired Kiffin/Dooley/Davis/Muschamp/Zook than Urban Meyer, surely you can just ignore me. I’m just an idiot who was satisfied with mediocrity.
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Moveon.org
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Who are you to tell someone to move on?We all put up with your BS for a long time. As you once said if you don’t like what is written ignore it.
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I guess you two need more time. I’ll keep the champagne on ice for you. Well, some of it. The rest of us are gonna get shitfaced.
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Wait – so you honestly celebrate this hire for who it is, not just because Richt is gone?
When Richt was fired, you genuinely thought “boy, oh boy, I sure hope they can nab Kirby Smart!”.
Oh, right, you think Smart turned down 30 head coaching gigs already and was the hottest commodity around. Pop open the bubbly, then.
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Who’s the miserable one, now???
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I don’t think that was ever in question, was it? It’s me. I’m the miserable one.
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I don’t think it matters who it is. I still think McGarity is suspect and I have some skepticism….but he’s the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs now and I want him to be successful even if it means it makes McGarity look good.
That’s how I roll. (And I’ll certainly be pulling for the U once Richt takes Uncle Luke’s recommendation and takes the job.)
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As long as Kirby doesn’t finish his press conference with a jihadist-like “wherever God leads me” wacko comment our program is in better hands.
Now let’s show some in game discipline and play to beat the fuck out of the opponent!
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Wow stay classy there juan.
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Move back to Vermont, buttercup.
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Amen, Brother Juan!
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That’s a classy comment there
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Rick, you must win the lottery a lot, what with your ability to predict the future and all.
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Alternatively, maybe that’s precisely why I don’t play the lottery?
Maybe that’s also why I don’t endorse discarding a coach proven as the finest we’ve had in over a century for whatever random crap was on South Carolina’s candidate list.
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Wow, “random crap”……and I thought the anti CMR bunch was supposed to be the lunatic fringe.
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The lunatic fringe definitely extends in both directions.
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A 20% chance of success is better than we’ve had the last 15 years.
The only year in CMR’s career that we controlled our own destiny going into the final 2 weeks of the season was 2012.
That’s 1/15 or 6.7% chance of success.
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The last time we had an opening I said “please no CMR!” I feared Brad Scott v.2. We won 2 sec’s in 5 years! This time I said “please no Kirby!” as I fear Muschamp v.2. Here’s to hoping I’m wildly wrong once again!
Senator: you told us that Kirby annoyed some folks when he turned us down for DC. What gives?
Anybody have any thoughts about his preference in an OC? (Other than one who excites Mr. Eason). If he brings the Laner I will not be happy.
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Tyson Helton is the hire
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What is the source for that?
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Football scoop…Muschamp is the DC.
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Surely you are spoofing. If we hire that God damn powderkeg … sheee-it.
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I sure hope no Muschamp. His antics are embarrassing. He is a step down from Pruitt.
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Its damn sure gonna be interesting if this all pans out. Don’t Kirby and Agent M own a house on the Red Neck Riviera together or something like that?
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Jimbo and Muschamp
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Kirby has as good a CV as any coordinator could. It’s not a guarantee that he’ll be a great HC (though, FWIW, Saban says he will) but he’s a very promising hire:
Coach at Valdosta State, UGA, FSU, LSU, Bama and Miami (NFL). Has served as grad assistant, RB coach, DB coach, and DC. 2009 Broyles Award as the nation’s best assistant coach., 2012 AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year, 2015 Broyles Award finalist (final award pending).
And most of this at THE elite program. That’s really good.
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Have we heard Smart say enough or have we seen enough from him to know if he will be a “healing hire?” If we want to improve our coaching what difference does that make anyway? I’m ready to give Smart the benefit of the doubt because he will be our coach. After Richt I always thought we could attract a more experienced head coach even if he didn’t have a mind blowing resume` or wasn’t that hot.
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Healing Hire, in this case, means we go from having no coach to having a coach…assuming there are no breakdowns in the negotiations with Pat Dye, Jr. or with Smart.
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Kirby will be HUGE for our recruiting. He’ll get the players hella excited even if it takes some of the fans awhile to come around.
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Barring a breakdown in negotiations. It ain’t done yet, folks.
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Kirby has been waiting for years for this chance. He’s not going to pass it up. Neither party is interested in walking away from the table on this.
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Barring a snag in the negotiations…you mean like the snag McGarity had in his office Sunday morning?
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Scorp you seem darn hopeful that McGarity botches this up.
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Certainly don’t mean to sound that way, but the combination of the AD and negotiations don’t fill me with hope…not this week, anyway.
I’ll be ok with Kirby if and when the dotted lines are signed.
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Well, I agree that the AD has played this wrong in a lot of ways.
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He does seem like he’s hoping this blows up. And not in a good way.
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Mike, trust me when I say I have had enough drama…just sign the damn coach before I get all giddy. Unlike some of us I get no damn joy out of seeing us fail. At anything.
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Hey, what could go wrong? It’s not like we’ve ever had a coach back out on us and leave us standing at the altar….
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Or lost a pretty decent coach over staff control issues?
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can we still bring in Harrick as Director of Compliance??
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+1
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I’ve come around to being pretty excited about Kirby Smart.
But Muschamp at DC … ? Please, God, no.
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NO NO NO
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If we are going to roll with high explosive ordinance, I’m sure Greg had his people vet Boom to make sure he wasn’t the best man at Kirby’s wedding
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Turd, I’m with you on this one. Muschamp was never a beloved dawg and his time at UF and Auburn totally, to my thinking, disqualify him from consideration. To say nothing (but I will anyway) of his sideline antics which look deranged. I will cuss him the first chance I get.
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How about his statement that he went to Georgia because he was temporary insane .
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Yeah. I hope someone at the press conference asks him about that. He’s got some ass-kissing ahead of him in my book.
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“Barring a last-minute snag…” brings up Dick Sheridan memories.
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There have been much more recent “snags” than Dick Sheridan.
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Heck, if you read the USA Today link it doesn’t sound nearly as done as the headline makes you think.
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Not regarding the premature reporting of a new head football coach being hired.
But you’re right, there sure have been a lot of other snags.
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I was ready to be supportive of Kirby, although I was terribly disappointed in this “coaching search”. But hiring Muschamp is a total turn off. The guy is a flaming idiot….Grantham like but even less in control. Holy Moly, what are we becoming?
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If they will just sedate him on game day like they do Uga he may be tolerable.
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I believe muschamp is in columbia tonight.
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completely underwhelmed, .hoping for the best but not expecting it…some “search” glad Suzanne got her man….maybe he’ll bring back David Kelly as RB coach and really make her happy
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Wonder if Eason’s visit to Gainesville pushed up the timetable on this announcement.
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Actually if Kirby don’t hire a good pro-style QB coach and OC we will get to enjoy Eason throwing TD’s in Jax for at least 3 years.
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Boo freaking hoo.
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I have a friend who is a head foot coach at a college in the south who I talked to today. My friend knows Kirby Smart well and talked with Smart Tuesday. Smart told him he is taking the UGA job with the announcement after the SEC CG. The most interesting thing was that Smart’s agent planted the “Kirby Smart is the top target at South Carolina ” story to bluff McGarity into pulling the trigger on Richt.
McGarity got played by the agent.
My friend said Pruitt will not be at UGA next year and, even before Richt was hired, Pruitt told him he wanted out. He had his fill of McGarity’s ways.
We did not talk about what changes, if any, Smart demands. My friend got another call more important than mine and had to cut our conversation short.
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Sorry for the typos. My friend is a head football coach , not a “foot coach.” The friend said Pruitt told him he wanted out before Richt was fired, not before Richt was hired.
Sorry
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I’m hopeful he will disprove the idiotic assertion that the only way to win w/ class / the Georgia way – is with Coach Richt. I bet he will show drive and determination and will work to build Uga into a top program.
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I have never heard anyone make such an assertion. And while I am supportive of Kirby, if he is bringing Will Muschamp, that might have lent support to the very argument you have invented. Muschamp is an out of control jerk…we had one of those depart for Louisville and we don’t need that dirt bag in Athens.
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Please Ray Tanner … make Muschamp your new HC!
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I think he’ll do exactly as good a job as Richt has done – no better or worse. After all, he has almost the exact qualifications Richt had when we hired him. Same age, coordinator at a major school. Only diff is Kirby’s been on the defensive side. He’ll have the same constraints from BM – donors as Richt has had. BTW, if this goes through, Georgia has still not hired a coach from another Division 1 school in its history. Marshall was 1A when we hired Donnan.
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So what?
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And if FSU isn’t division 1, what is it? FCS?
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Prior head coaching experience at a Div-1 school. Come on Chilli get the facts straight.
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Our recruiting for 2016 was already huge. His job is to hold that class in the fold.
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This hire is small ball played by an AD who only understands small ball. Smart is at best a lateral move and is “change for change’s sake” rather than a hire that makes the program better. We had the best opening and a chance to make a Saban or Meyer type of hire, and a coordinator with no head coaching experience is the best we could find. Meyer and McElwain had previous experience before coming to UF. Malzahn had previous experience before returning to Auburn. Jones had experience before coming to Tennessee. Our rivals will be laughing at us tomorrow.
For those who call this a healing hire, remember all of the negative things he and Muschamp have said about Georgia in the last 5 years. I hope he’s successful for the sake of our university, but go ahead and color me skeptical.
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I’ve got no beef with Smart for negative recruiting against us; everyone does that. Muschamp, however, dissed his own alma mater publicly when he took the UF job. Piss on him.
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Someone was going to give Kirby a head coaching shot at some point. Obviously it’s a risk but for his first shot it would seem to be his best shot at his alma mater and a place that he has recruited before. Might be able to keep some of the defensive guys in the fold. Biggest hire would potentially be his OC and OL hires.
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It might be the best shot for him but not convinced it’s the best shot for the Bulldog Nation. We didn’t even try to do something big when we had the chance.
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Given the above discussions I think the Healing part maybe a little overstated. That being said bring Muschamp with him will take a lot of balls. Kirby just turned us down before Will insulted the whole school. That SOB would have to eat a lot of crow to get me to forgive his BS. And can we please have a psychologist stand by on the sidelines with a straight jacket for him. He has anger issues duh. The thing is when a coach especially a coordinator gets that mad an focuses on the refs he is not focused on his job. We know how the guys around here love their focus.
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Both of them need to eat a little crow before either of them should wear the G proudly again.
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Do not bring that asshole Muschamp back.
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