Kirby Smart is ready to kick off the 2025 season. The Georgia head coach was spicy in interviews in Destin. Dawgs fans will love to see it! Georgia fans know that Smart has an edge. For players and fans, they want to inject his pregame speeches right into their veins. In 2021, audio leaked from his halftime speech in the ‘Cocktail Party’. Smart said to his players, “I want to break them.” Before the 2022 national championship recocking against TCU, Smart “gently” reminded his players that they were ready and prepared for the game. These are just two examples of the Kirby Smart that Georgia fans love. We in the media sometimes have a more challenging time.
Smart doesn’t say “a lot.” For his weekly press conferences and post-game interviews, Smart shows that he has mastered coachspeak. But, every now and then, we get some nuggets. We struck gold, Dawg fans. This week, Smart and the rest of the SEC coaches and administrators traveled to Destin, Florida, for the annual Spring Meetings. Smart provided us with some great quotes and showed how he and Georgia are locked into the 2025 season.
Spicy Destin: Kirby Smart Doesn’t Hold His Tongue
Don’t Talk About Our Quarterback Pawwwllll
Paul Finebaum is the voice of the SEC. Love him or hate him, all SEC fans know what “Pawwlll” thinks about their team and its chances. Coaches like to say they don’t read the “papers” or message boards. Instead, they are locked in on their team and what they can control. Smart and Finebaum had a memorable exchange this week. Finebaum is loving the ratings this week. He got to have one-on-one interviews with all the coaches, Greg Sankey, and other prominent voices in the SEC. The interview with Smart was spicy.
On Tuesday, Finebaum was on SportsCenter when he was asked if Georgia would be “fine” or “not fine” with Gunner Stockton as quarterback. Stockton is taking over as QB1 with the departure of Carson Beck to South Beach. Georgia fans have fallen in love with their new F-150-driving quarterback, while Finebaum, on the other hand, has not. “I would say that’s a big ‘not fine’,” Finebaum said. “I know the team coalesced around him after the SEC Championship Game, but I was underwhelmed by what I saw from Gunner Stockton in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame.”
Later that day, Smart came on “The Paul Finebaum Show” for a chat with Pawll. That’s when things got interesting… Here is a brief overview of the exchange.
“I’m glad you missed an earlier interview I did on ESPN,” Finebaum said.
“Oh, I didn’t miss it,” Smart said with a chuckle.
“Gunner got the message,” Smart told Finebaum. “You did your job.”
You can bet, though, that Smart will use the comments as fuel for Georgia and Stockton. “Look, nobody believes in you.” Smart knows how to play the chip on your shoulder game, and Finebaum gave him a big one for 2025.
They’re Paying Recruits How Much!?!?!
Finebaum wasn’t the only media personality making bank and getting clicks in Destin. Ross Dellenger was also active and shared all the things he heard in formal and informal conversations at Destin. Dellenger isn’t just clickbait; see Finebaum’s interview with Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin. he is one of the top college football journalists. His tweets and his stories deserve a click, because we all leave smarter and more informed. Dellenger reported this week that Smart didn’t hold back on pulling back the curtain on the relationship between collectives and recruits. Smart told Yahoo Sports this week that collectives are offering high school recruits up to $20,000 a month to secure or maintain their commitments, often in an unregulated environment. According to Smart, if a recruit de-commits, they’re being asked to return the money, which we’re all sure they do (sarcasm font).
Recruiting is always on Smart’s mind. He is one of the most relentless recruiters in college football. Georgia is consistently ranked #1 or #2 each year. Although recruiting is changing. NIL and collectives have changed the game. Smart recruits with the promise of the future. Smart consistently sends double-digit players into every draft. You come to Athens to compete and get ready for the NFL. That pitch worked really well pre-NIL. Now, some players may want to compete, but they will hear you more with a little money. Smart’s comments undoubtedly reflect his feelings about losing out on top recruits to the university in Coral Gables.
Smart used Finebaum and Dellenger this week to put forth his agenda. With Finebaum, it was about motivating his players. With Dellenger, the focus was on the inner workings of college football. The sport is quickly evolving. College football is better when Smart shares his thoughts.
Main Photo: Marc Weiszer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The post Spicy Destin: Kirby Smart Doesn’t Hold His Tongue appeared first on Last Word on College Football.