Sure, Kirby. Whatever you say.

I know he’s got to say this, but does he really think they’re buying it?

Kirby Smart has provided more clarity to the quarterback competition he announced last week, explaining Jamie Newman’s position on the roster.

“He (Newman) knows that it’s a competition,” Smart said on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan on Thursday morning. “He knows he has to beat guys out. That’s the way it has always been.”

Newman, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound graduate transfer from Wake Forest, was at the top of Smart’s list when Jake Fromm announced he was forgoing his senior season.

“We had researched the entire year with a thought that Jake would have the opportunity to come out early,” Smart said. “So we had a pool of 30 to 40 of guys that we thought would be potential. Whether they were transfers or whether they were grad transfers, whatever they may be, we knew we could possibly be in the quarterback market.

“Once Jamie went into the portal and we knew he was going to be a graduate transfer, we started communication immediately. And it was a process of finding out whether what he wanted aligned with what we wanted.”

You don’t invest that much time and, more relevantly, convince Newman not to look elsewhere, without a pretty strong feeling he’s your guy.  If you’re defining competition as it’s his job to lose, sure, I can see that, but an open contest among equals?  Nah…