Kirby Smart weighs in on the job Shane Beamer has done at South Carolina
SEC play is set to begin on Saturday for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. The annual early season showdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks is set to take place, with Smart going up against a former assistant. Shane Beamer is running the show in Columbia, getting his team off to a 1-1 start.
During his weekly press conference, Smart took some time to praise the work Beamer has done at South Carolina. He complimented the energy the head coach has bought, mainly through hiring a “great staff.” While they might be division rivals, there seems to be nothing but respect from Smart’s end.
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“When I hired Shane, I had known him for a very long time,” Smart said. “He was interested in coming and thought it would be a great opportunity to jump into the SEC, be a part of our program. And he did. He’s created a lot of energy through his program through enthusiasm. They have a great staff at South Carolina and just creating an environment of competition through their program to compete at a high level.”
Smart hired Beamer to his original Georgia staff in 2016, where he served as the tight ends and special teams coordinator. Beamer spent two seasons in Athens before departing for Oklahoma to work with Lincoln Riley. Now, he’s facing off against a former boss this Saturday.
Kirby Smart discusses Georgia-South Carolina rivalry
Smart then discussed the South Carolina rivalry for Georgia, saying it’s one the Gamecocks have always played really hard in. The two can have massive recruiting battles as well, being bordering states.
“South Carolina has always, historically, played Georgia really hard,” said Smart. “It’s usually the first SEC game, most years. They recruit our state hard. We recruit their state hard. Lot of things to that.”
During the 2022 recruiting cycle, Georgia was not able to land anybody from the state of South Carolina. However, on the flip side, Beamer landed five prospects in the Peach State. As the Gamecocks continue to evolve as a program, there will be some more prevalent battles between the two.
Until then, Beamer and Smart will have to play on the field for a second time. Georgia won Round One during the 2022 season. Round Two will kick off on Saturday.