Kirby Smart weighs in on the 'win now' pressure on SEC football coaches

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has learned first-hand the immense pressure put on college coaches in the SEC to win now. Fortunately for him, his Bulldogs haven’t had any issues with that.

In six seasons, Smart has led Georgia to double digit victories four times, including 2021. The Bulldogs, behind the nation’s top defense, are currently undefeated heading into the SEC Championship Game against Alabama.

Other coaches haven’t been as lucky.

LSU fired Ed Orgeron after he went 11-11 over the past two seasons, while Florida let go of Dan Mullen as the Gators finished this year 6-6. Smart said as much as you hate to see things like that happen, coaches have to know the stakes when taking over prestigious programs.

“We all know that this game, especially in the SEC, the amount of pressure that’s put on coaching staffs to win now is immense,” he said. “So I think you have to understand when you get into this business, the nature of this business and the high stakes that are involved in the SEC coaching, that’s part of it. It’s not for everybody.”

Both LSU and Florida have since landed on their next head man. The Gators snagged Billy Napier from Louisiana and the Tigers lured Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame with a massive paycheck.

As both coaches prepare to enter the gauntlet of SEC football, Kirby Smart has a few more words of wisdom.

“I think people find that out when they get in our league, not only how physically tough it is, but the grind in recruiting and year-round transfers and portal,” he said. “It’s taxing, so you’d better have a very quality staff, a great administration, and you’d better be able to manage a lot of situations.”

After finishing 8-5 in his inaugural season, Smart led Georgia to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2017. After taking out Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the national championship.

Although he hasn’t made it back to the CFP, that is likely to change this year. The Bulldogs are currently No. 1 in the committee’s rankings with just one game left to play.

Smart has developed a reputation as one of the top coaches in the SEC, compiling a 64-14 overall record in Athens. He has managed to find a blueprint for success in the nation’s toughest conference, so incoming coaches will want to heed his advice.

Kickoff between the Crimson Tide and Georgia is set for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.