Kirby Smart Finally Learned to Stop Micromanaging and That's Great News for UGA Fans
By Scott Rogust
Sometimes, head coaches can get in their own way, as they can have the tendency to allow commitments to success get out of hand. The same can be said for Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart. While successful, has had his fair share of shortcomings, and has had to fight battles with himself when it comes to micromanaging his staff.
When speaking to the media following a Dawgs scrimmage on Saturday, Smart was asked what he's evolved through his three years at Athens. The head coach replied by saying that he's learned to put more trust in his assistants instead of constantly looking over their shoulders.
Where has Kirby Smart evolved the most as @FootballUGA's head coach? He told me, "Delegating and not looking over the top of everybody. My coordinators are doing things right and I know they’re in control, whereas before my antenna was up all the time."
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) August 10, 2019
Bulldogs fans should be thrilled to hear this, because there didn't seem to be a whole lot of new tricks for the boss to learn at UGA.
Lest we forget, but Georgia was incredibly close to making it back-to-back SEC championships last year only to see the Alabama Crimson Tide snatch a victory in the closing moments. It was Smart's former mentor, Nick Saban, who outsmarted his protégé, thanks in part to quarterback Jalen Hurts entering in relief of an injured Tua Tagovailoa.
A year prior to, Georgia fell in overtime in the CFP National Championship to the same Alabama team. The Dawgs are certainly doing every last thing they can to make sure history doesn't repeat itself yet again.
"Georgia has proven in two games against Alabama they can go punch-for-punch with the bully in the league...but Kirby Smart needs to learn how to finish better, he's learning on the job there."
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 6, 2019
-@HMason14 says the Dawgs aren't intimidated by Bama pic.twitter.com/p8oauzRuPI
Even with these shortcomings, Smart has accumulated a 32-10 record in three seasons at Georgia, and has turned the program into a truly enviable recruiting juggernaut.
Not everyone is Saban, who can hire new coordinators year in and year out with a virtual guarantee of major success. Fortunately, Smart has now learned to leave his pride at the door and delegate more effectively to his coaching staff. And ahead of the new season, that's got to have UGA fans feeling bullish.