FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There may not be a hotter head coaching candidate than Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. He has led one of the top defenses in the college football while working for a head coach that is considered the best in the sport.
So why hasn’t Smart left Alabama for an opportunity at the helm of a program?
He said he’s waiting for the perfect opportunity.
“I have the best non-head-coaching job in the country, period,” Smart said in a rare interview appearance Friday. “I’ve got a great administration; we’ve got a great facility. I want to be where I can win, and I know you can win at Alabama. I think that’s so important.”
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t looking around. Smart’s name has always been floated when an FBS job becomes available. He interviewed at in-state rival Auburn University after Gene Chizik was let go as head coach.
Smart didn’t get a job offer – the Tigers opted for former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn – but said the experience was priceless.
“I think the interview process is beneficial for you because you find out a lot more about the people you’re talking to, and you also find out a lot more about yourself and you get better experience doing that,” Smart said. “I certainly think it’s a benefit. And Coach Saban has been extremely supportive of me in that process and has told me on a number of occasions that he knows that I’m going to have opportunities, and he’s happy for me for those opportunities.”
While it’s unknown exactly why Auburn passed on Smart for Malzahn – “I’ll just leave that to us and them,” Smart said – the job is a good example of one Smart is waiting for – a major program with a lot of resources that can win right away.
Chris Low, who covers the SEC for ESPN.com, sees two schools that fit him perfectly.
“Alabama if Saban leaves or retires, or the Georgia job,” Low said. “He’s sort of just waiting to see what happens. He’s not going to go somewhere where he doesn’t think he can win a championship in the first couple years. And I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t either.”
Smart played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995-1998, and it is widely believed that he would jump at the opportunity to lead his alma mater. Current Georgia coach Mark Richt had 8- and 9-win seasons in 2009 and 2010, turning up the temperature of his seat in the ever-competitive SEC.
But Richt responded with two straight SEC Eastern Division titles and came within four points of Alabama of playing in a national championship this season. For now, it appears that Richt is safe and sound in Athens.
As for Alabama, Saban, 61, has shown no sign of letting up. He signed a contract extension in the spring that will have him in Tuscaloosa until 2019.
Smart dismissed any notion of having his eye on the Alabama job and waiting for it to open up.
“Well, I’m like Coach Saban, I don’t get into hypotheticals,” Smart said. “That’s completely a hypothetical. I think Alabama is a special, special place, and it’s obviously a great place to coach. But as far as anything outside of that, I’m just worried about this game and being successful at Alabama.”
For now, Smart says he has one thing on his mind and that’s beating Notre Dame. He’ll have his hands full with dynamic Irish quarterback Everett Golson and their three-pronged rushing attack. The job searches can wait for another day.
Smart’s ultimate goal is a head coaching job – why wouldn’t a coach of his caliber strive for the top of his profession? But he’s in no hurry to leave Alabama, where he can continue to win at a high level, while learning from one of the best.
“I think I just turned 37. I am so worried about Notre Dame, I don’t know my age,” Smart said. “I don’t worry about where I’m going to be in three years or ten years. I think if you win, that takes care of itself, and I’m not in such a hurry to run off and do anything that I don’t have a pressing issue. If I was 47, I might feel differently. But most important thing to me right now is winning championships and developing young men into better players and better people”
