Kirby Smart embracing high standard for Georgia football: 'I love the expectations'

The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a season where they won the SEC and made it to the College Football Playoff. Still, head coach Kirby Smart knows it didn’t reach the high expectations many have for his program.

Smart explained on The Paul Finebaum Show that he embraces those high expectations. After all, it’s a sign that there is passion for what he’s doing and a belief that he’s capable of doing it at the highest level.

“That’s a good thing that you do that,” Smart said. “Because I actually think that it’s a great thing when you win a 16-team SEC conference that’s probably one of the best years we’ve had in terms of winning games, and it is hard to do when you play seven or eight top 10 teams, which we were able to do. I really don’t get caught up in it. I love the expectations. I embrace that. I think it’s a good thing because if it’s not there, what are you playing for?”

Smart came to Georgia in 2016 and, since then, has put together a record of 105-19 overall and 62-11 in SEC play. He’s also managed to win the national championship twice and the SEC three times. So, it’s not a surprise that he’s managed to set the bar incredibly high in Athens.

Still, Smart made it clear that while winning a national championship is going to be something to strive for, the goal is to get the most out of every team. In 2024, that was a conference title and a Playoff berth. In 2025, the hope is to go beyond that. That means building on that previous success.

“Do we want to win a national championship? Absolutely,” Smart said. “But that’s not going to be the be-all, end-all for us. We want to get the most out of every team we can.”

Maintaining success has become a much larger challenge for coaches, too. Player movement is rapid and retaining talent can be difficult. At Georgia, that’s created a quarterback battle, which Smart will need to figure out to get back to where the Bulldogs want to go.

With spring practice in the rearview mirror, the Georgia Bulldogs are being given a win total of 9.5 games. That is a tie for first in the SEC, alongside Alabama and Texas. So, once again, expectations are that the Bulldogs are going to be at the top of the conference. Outside of the abbreviated 2020 season, the only time Georgia hasn’t gotten to at least 10 wins under Kirby Smart was in 2016, his first season with the program.