Kirk Herbstreit weighs in on Kirby Smart job security

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit spoke in a teleconference Wednesday about whether he feels Georgia head coach Kirby Smart needs success now or risks being fired. Herbstreit felt that if Smart hadn’t lost in dramatic fashion to Alabama in the 2018 national championship game, his career would be viewed very differently.

Kirk Herbstreit not down on Kirby Smart

Herbstreit explained his belief during the teleconference that Smart would already have a national title at Georgia if not for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s historic comeback in the 2018 National Championship. Tagovailoa entered the game in the second half and threw for three touchdowns, including a game-winning touchdown in overtime.

“That’s how close they were,” Herbstreit stated. “So I don’t feel like – when [former head coach] Mark Richt would go through this and fans got onto him like, ‘Man, there’s always the potential but they never live up to it.’ But as an outsider, I don’t feel that with Georgia right now, with Kirby. I feel like they’ve been close.”

Smart’s success at building a roster after changes to personnel was another good point in Herbstreit’s opinion. The analyst had plenty of praise for the job Smart has done recruiting new talent at Georgia.

“I think it’s more about, the quarterback situation last year was very unusual, but they seem to be settled at that spot. They seem to have recruited better at wide receiver, even with the injury to Pickens, they’re okay.”

“They have some answers on the outside,” Herbstreit continued. “They’ve lost a ton in their secondary, a total of 6-7 guys. So as we sit here, [and] haven’t seen the ball in the air yet, that’s a fair question mark … until we see how they play against Clemson.”

Can Smart win a championship?

“I’m a Kirby guy. I think he’s doing great,” explained Herbstreit. “I think he recruits great, I think he develops talent. You know how it is to win a championship, you’ve just got to catch a break here or there. You’ve got to stay healthy. All that boring stuff, but it’s all true.”

As far as Herbstreit is concerned, the job Smart has done so far has been good enough to believe Georgia is on the right track. With a little bit of luck, the Bulldogs can return to the national championship game. Herbstreit feels their team is built to win:

“They’ve got a team that’s ready to go and it’s a tough way to start with Clemson. But if they win that game, and you start to look down that schedule, there’s going to be Georgia fans that are hooting and hollering thinking this is the year again. Because they have a team that could be built to win a championship. But I don’t sense any pressure [on Kirby Smart]. I think they’ve been close and just have to get over the hump.”