GLENDALE, Ariz. — By now, Kirby Smart has traded in crimson for red and black. The former defensive coordinator for Alabama officially took over as the head coach of Georgia after a 45-40 win over Clemson in the national championship.
It wasn’t exactly how Smart wanted to go out. There isn’t much about 550 yards allowed that any defensive coordinator would be happy about. And Smart certainly wasn’t.
“Yeah, it’s satisfying to go out on top, but it’s not satisfying to give up 40 [points] and 550 [yards] so that’s not my goal as the defensive coordinator,” Smart said. “And I didn’t feel like we played our best game so that’s the tough thing for me, going out that way. But, hey, a win is a win. Humility is usually a week away. Now, it’s six, seven, eight months away.”
After 10 years with Alabama coach Nick Saban (one year in Miami as the safeties coach and nine years in Tuscaloosa), Smart is headed back to his alma mater. He was named to the All-SEC list as a senior. For his career, he had 13 interceptions.
“I’ll take a lot of wisdom from coach Saban,” Smart said. “ I’ll take a lot of wisdom from a great university and looking forward to going to a great university that’s also my alma mater. It’s a special moment for me and my family ‘cause all my family’s really known is Tuscaloosa, been there for nine years. … It makes it a special place.”
At Alabama, he spent seven of his nine years as the defensive coordinator. He won the Broyles Award in 2009, which goes to the top assistant coach in college football, and was named the 2012 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
At the end of the day, he commanded a defense to his fourth national title.
“Kirby has been with us for a long time and done a really, really good job,” Saban said. “We certainly wish him the very best. I know this has been a difficult time for him to do the right thing relative to our players who have worked so hard to help him have the success that he has, that we all have, and he did a wonderful job. He really did. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what he did for our players so that they’d have an opportunity to have this experience.”
