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Social media reacts to SEC Coach of the Year poll: Kirby Smart, Josh Heupel or Brian Kelly?
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Social media reacts to SEC Coach of the Year poll: Kirby Smart, Josh Heupel or Brian Kelly?
ATHENS — Kirby Smart is a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and is among those being considered for the award this season.
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As MG mentioned, Kirby has overcome so much this year with 28 players leaving the team for the NFL and transfer portal. To also be able to keep the team in check - not allow the players to get comfortable with what last year's team did and work hard to carve out a new identity for this year's team - it's an amazing accomplishment that this team has done what it has done this season. Kirby deserves the SEC coach of the year because staying at the mountain top is even harder than reaching it. GO DAWGS!
Should be fisher. How to spend $30 million on a recruiting class and not even make it to a bowl game. 🤣🤣 But in all seriousness, will probably be heupel. Yes UGA owned them a few weeks ago, but he has made them relevant again. Will he be back next year, looking like more of a no with the NFL desperately searching for coaches. Unless Tennessee borrows the A&M brinks truck. Kelly, he just put the pieces together that orgeron already had on hand. Coach O really recruited at a high level after they won the natty. And LSU isn't exactly a school a lot of recruits turn down. So I'd love for Kirby to win it all, but have a strong feeling it'll be Heupel.
UGA did lose a lot of players but they are still a much more talented team than anyone on their schedule. The only teams that UGA has played this season that have fewer than 4 losses are Oregon and Tennessee. And as for Oregon, they have 3 tough games remaining (8-2 Utah, at rival 7-3 Oregon State, Pac-12 title game against 9-1 USC presuming they beat Utah) so may not be wise continuing to hang your hat on them. And while Tennessee will finish the regular season 11-1 it was still a home game against a rebuilding passing spread program that wasn't ready for UGA's physicality.
So, that makes Tennessee's beating more talented Alabama and LSU teams - plus a Florida team that was arguably as talented - more impressive. Also, while they still have Vandy and South Carolina to go, so far they have avoided an upset. Kentucky before the Georgia game and Missouri after would have been prime candidates for "looking ahead" and "letdowns" yet Tennessee ran them off the field. And - again - Tennessee DOES NOT have an overwhelming talent advantage over anything but the absolute worst SEC teams. Add to that Tennessee played most of the season without their best NFL prospect - Cedric Tillman, who is their best shot at a #1 draft pick. Their beating Florida, Alabama and LSU without him is particularly impressive.
If Kirby wins his second SEC title, then fine. But until then, all Kirby has done this year is not get upset by a bunch of rebuilding teams that have nowhere near as much talent as there is in Athens. Because while UGA had 15 guys drafted in 2022, don't be shocked if they have 12 guys drafted in 2023, and those won't even include the best athlete on offense Brock Bowers and the 2nd best athlete on defense Malachi Starks.
In 2021, the Dawgs won it all with the most dominant defense, College Football has seen in some time.
Then came the draft. UGA lost 8 starters off of that "generational defense" to the draft...including their best receiver, lead RB, the left side of the O-line and a starting TE...not to mention, an award winning Punter.
If you take inventory of all the other guys that transferred, you'll find em scattered across the SEC starting for teams, such as AUB, ARK, FLA, BAMA and LSU. Kirby recruited and trained those boys and now he's having to compete against em (Robinson, Brini, Burton etc.). Your welcome! LOL
UGA, TENN, FLA, BAMA, LSU, AUB...have ALWAYS recruited well. Since long before any of us were born. I give none of em a pass for not getting their share of talent. That's the "the Job" and life blood of a HC.
Okay if Heupel doesn't have what he needs to win it all, this year. Maybe next year...then, you can give him a coaching award. Let's see if he can sustain the way Saban, Smart and Kelly have over the decades.
Nobody can deny, there are multiple coaches that deserve the "Coach Of The Year" Award. However, there is only 1 that stands head and shoulders above the rest, and that's Kirby Smart. This year!
I'd like to give Kelly, Heuple and 1 or 2 others, an award...but, Kirby deserves the crown. So, give it to him and stop looking for reasons , not to. We've got too much of that patronizing, "give everybody a trophy" crap, going on in Society, as it is.
Tennessee beat LSU and Alabama...the 2 premiere teams in the West.
Then...Kirby and his staff cobbled together a defense, out of a combination of both, experienced and inexperienced young men...some of whom were playing HS ball last year (see Mykell Williams, Bear Alexander, Malaki Starks, among others).
And, proceeded to dismantle the #1 offense in the Country, allowing them less than half of the yardage and points, they'd managed to pile up against all their other opponents.
Yep...Kirby's still the king. Like they used to say when referencing the competition between Saban & Smart or Saban & Fisher or Saban & Kiffin...you must beat "The King", if you want to own his Crown and carry his Sword. Heupel and Kelly haven't done that, yet.
Kelly couldn't do it when he was at ND...and he can't do it now. LOL And, so far, Heupel hasn't really given Kirby a challenge. Though, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of TENN.
This has been an outstanding Football Season, so far. One of the best I've ever seen. Can you imagine what a 12 game CFP would be like this year. Lol...I can't wait. I just hope I live long enough to see UGA win the 1st one.
These terms you seem to like to use in qualifying your remarks are extremely subjective and virtually impossible to validate. "more talented"..."less talented"...according to whom? How do you quantify "talent"?
There are talented players on every team in the SEC. Hell...Jimbo Fisher had a historic signing class in 2022. Does that equal 7-8 losses and no Bowl? Kirby "coached-up" and is using roughly 10 guys off their 2022 recruiting class to supplant the 29 players they lost off the 2021 team. WITHOUT TAKING A SINGLE PLAYER THROUGH THE TRANSFER PORTAL.
Kirby is the best, because he takes 0-3 star athletes developed into 4-5 star athletes. He creates leaders that shine,, on and off the field.. He's created a culture that breeds and rewards unselfishness and Brotherhood.. Players either conform...or leave via TP.
Actually, the TP is the best thing that could've happened for Kirby's program. He can now, afford to be very selective in the character of player he allows into his program.
Any Coach that signed a top 20 recruiting class (consider the TP, also) in each of the last 3-4 yrs, has a chance...if they can "coach". Heupel hasn't been there or done that, long enough to be crowned. He won the rookie coach award last year...good for him. He deserved it.
But, not this one. The Crown belongs to Kirby Smart. Come beat him, and you can borrow it. LOL
I see merit in Smart, Heupel and Kelly, and I would love for Smart to walk away with it. But my vote would go to Kelly. For all the (rightful) talk about Kirby losing 15 players, most pundits expected us to be 10-0 or 9-1 at worst, by this point in the season. So he's right where he should be.
Heupel has done great but with Hooker coming back and a few select transfers, most experts expected them to improve from last year and be the second- or third-best team in the SEC East, which they are.
Kelly, though, was thought to to be able to get what, maybe six wins, and was picked to finish what, fifth, at SEC Media Days. He indeed may be winning with Ogeron's recruits but guess what, Ogeron couldn't win with them. That he has his team playing (not contending fpr ) but playing in the SECCG, with a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoffs is nothing short of a miracle and he's doing it with two true-freshman tackles and the best player on the team is a true freshman.
Let's see if we can nail down the meaning of the word "Talent", as it applies to football players. Do you know what a coach is looking for, when he does a player evaluation?
Well...here it is. It's upside. If Smart knows you haven't begun to tap your true potential...and he can get the most out of you. If you have the right character and mindset...have good speed, with agility and balance...exhibit strength, heart, tenacity, work ethic, intelligence and humility...you might want to respond to the ad below.
"Kirby Smart is looking for a few good men"..... 1 year HS Football Experience desired, but, not required...will train the right applicant. Must have strong desire to win. Successful applicant will be a self-starter dedicated to being "The Best". Send a tape of your football highlights or related experience, along with your contact info to, Attn: CKS, UGA, Athens, Ga. Don't call us, we'll call you.
"For all the (rightful) talk about Kirby losing 15 players, most pundits expected us to be 10-0 or 9-1 at worst, by this point in the season. So he's right where he should be."
True...partially. Kirby actually lost 29 players. Hell, I watched Brini make some big time plays for ARK last weekend, including an INT. He should be doing that for UGA, this year. After all, that's what Kirby was training him to do. Just 1 example.
Most "pundits" also said that Saban had the best team he's ever had. And, that UGA would probably NOT make the playoffs and Texas A&M along with BAMA would be the teams to watch.
I said they were "out-to-lunch", then. And, I say it now. Most of those guys/gals, don't know what the heck they're talking about. Remember Elle Duncan saying that she was concerned with Bennett at QB? She couldn't analyze her way out of a wet paper bag, if it had instructions. LOL. But, She is one of my favorite Dawg Fans...so, whatever.
@MikeGriffith
BTW, Mike...I don't know where you stand on this, but IMO....Every team in the SEC West, is either, "above average" -to- "below average". NOT, elite Championship caliber Teams.
I think it's indisputable that Texas A&M and Vanderbilt anchor their respective divisions.
While, I'm still not sure which team is "the best", in the West, TENN and UGA beat everything the West could throw at em. Then, UGA utterly shut TENN down, not to mention, Oregon, possibly the best team the PAC has, too.
So...what does that make UGA? Or, Kirby Smart? A guy that had to rebuild his defense, almost across the board.
Malaki Starks is a Freshman, so he isn't going in the draft..not yet anyway.
LSU lost to a very average FSU team also.. Same as his time at Notre Dame, Kelley's teams always lose 1 or 2 games they should win. And, it can't be blamed on the early in the season excuse. It was just as early in the season for FSU. He was outcoached, and his team was outplayed..plain and simple.
I have to agree with your take on Kelly. There's always that 1 game, every season, that has you scratching your head and calls his team's competitiveness into question.
And, it has nothing to do with the talent level of his teams....IMO. It's partially schematic and partially, "loss of focus". At least from what I've seen.
I've been a ND fan, all my life, so. I've seen quite a few games...before Kelly, Lol. I don't know exactly what it is about Kelly...but, he, unlike Smart, really can't get over that hump. Time is running out for him, so, I'm sure he's getting desperate. Which explains why he's at LSU, right now.
When the Dawgs aren't in it, I might pull for him. But....That ain't this year...🤣🤣🤣