Kirby Smart reveals biggest difference with Brian Kelly compared to time at Notre Dame

When No. 1 Georgia and No. 11 LSU meet on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game, it’ll be a rematch of sorts between the two coaches. They’ve met three times in the last decade, and Kirby Smart revealed the biggest difference with Brian Kelly from his Notre Dame days.

In short: the talent.

“Just a different makeup. They got these big, physical SEC players,” Smart said. “Not that they didn’t when they were at Notre Dame. They’ve got really good skill players. They’ve got an extremely athletic quarterback. Do a tremendous job defensively. I got a lot of respect for their defensive staff, what they do. But they’re really athletic.”

Smart was the defensive coordinator at Alabama in 2012 when the Crimson Tide spanked the Fighting Irish 42-14 in the BCS Championship Games.

Both subsequent meetings, in 2017 and 2019 while Smart was the head coach at Georgia, have been much more competitive affairs.

Georgia pulled out a tense 20-19 win on the road at Notre Dame in 2017, then won the return trip 23-17 at home in 2019. Smart is fully expecting a competitive LSU squad, last weekend’s loss at Texas A&M aside.

“I mean, LSU never is going to be short on players,” Smart said. “The state, that area, high school football is so meaningful, and they do such a good job recruiting, that he’s got some really talented guys, really talented players playing.”

Will difference with Brian Kelly’s talent level make for a competitive game?

It’s one thing to have a bit more talent than you had at your previous stop. It’s another to have enough to top Georgia’s juggernaut.

Can the difference with Brian Kelly’s talent level between his Notre Dame stint and his current gig at LSU be meaningful enough to keep the Tigers in it on Saturday? That remains to be seen.

After all, Georgia has won 30 of its last 31 games, with the lone loss coming against an Alabama team in 2021 that was 11-1 at the time the two teams met in the SEC Championship Game.

It’s been quite a long time since Georgia has lost. That’s why they play them, though, right?