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Why the genius of Kirby Smartâs success at Tennessee is in the simplicity
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Why the genius of Kirby Smartâs success at Tennessee is in the simplicity
ATHENS â Kirby Smart knows what heâs stepping into on Saturday, the noise that will rain down from the 101,915 fans packed into Neyland Stadiumâs vertically inclined seating.
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No, it is the talent gap. Anomalies like the 2019 debacles against South Carolina and Texas and 2020 against Florida aside, the teams that have beaten UGA have had loaded rosters: Alabama 2017; Alabama and LSU 2018; LSU 2019; Alabama 2020; Alabama 2021; Alabama 2023; Alabama, Ole Miss and Notre Dame 2024. Even taking UGA to the wire like Oklahoma in 2017 and Ohio State in 2022 needs a bunch of future NFL players. Example: the QBs for Oklahoma and Alabama 2017, LSU and Alabama 2018, LSU 2019, Alabama 2021 and Ohio State 2022 all started for NFL teams yesterday (Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Bryce Young, CJ Stroud) with 3 of them (Mayfield, Burrow, Young) also being Heisman winners and #1 overall draft picks. And that is just QB. They all had future NFL players catching the ball, running the ball, blocking for them and - except Mayfield at Oklahoma - on defense also.
Josh Heupel, for all the hype, hasn't brought that to Tennessee. All the time that he has been there, he has produced a single NFL 1st round draft pick and starter on offense: a right tackle. All of his other draft picks on offense have been in the 3rd round or lower. Defense? About the same: a DT and a couple of pass rushers going in rounds 1, 2, and 3. It is true that Heupel has only been there since 2021 and Tennessee was a mess when he got there, but it shouldn't take that long for a major SEC program to land either big time linemen on one hand or skill players on the other. Heupel hasn't landed either.
Florida and Auburn can't get things turned around for the same reason: they can't or won't hire coaches who can recruit. Ole Miss is getting better players than Tennessee, Auburn and Florida these days. Missouri and South Carolina are getting players that are just as good. Amazing but true.
Football ain’t hard - more about the Jimmy’s & Joe’s .
Yeah Tennessee had their pick of recruits from Georgia back in the 90s, and that was a big part of their success. Kirby has made it even tougher on them. Whew, not to look ahead, but reading all of these losses to Alabama listed by year makes you realize how important it is to beat them in 2025.
@mitch_earl…Mostly agree with you. According the the latest update on the 247 2025 Team Talent Composite rankings, Georgia is now #1 (moved past Bama who they just barely trailed a month ago). The Vols are #16.
But, the Vols do have a more experienced roster overall, and I go back to my belief that experience trumps talent when it comes down to the rubber meeting the road. The Coaching and development edge definitely goes to Kirby over Heupel. But then you have to add back in Neyland stadium and the noise…a definite home field advantage for the Vols…most of the time.
I think it's going to come down to which team executes the best and makes the fewest mistakes. There is no room for mistakes in this contest. But, I'd be really surprised if we can just go with a totally conservative game plan depending on mostly the running game and short dinks by Gunner to win this contest. The Vols will be expecting this kind of thing. I think at least a few BIG, explosive plays will be needed.
@MontanaDawg UGA was very experienced last year, but the problem was that a lot of that experience - the guys at DT, WR, OT, ILB and TE - weren't difference makers. This showed in the Notre Dame, Texas, Ole Miss and Bama games when they couldn't contain Riley Leonard or Jalen Milroe, they couldn't protect Carson Beck or Gunner Stockton from the edge pass rush and the pass catchers couldn't separate from defenders. I will take a true freshman like Malaki Starks - a 1st round pick day one starter for the Ravens - over a 3 year starter who is a future practice squad and special teams guy if he makes the NFL at all. I expect that we will again see UGA's 1st and 2nd year players are more talented than Tennessee's 3rd and 4th year ones.
@mitch_earl…valid point. But if you look at Ohio State last season, who spent most of their money on retention of talent & experience, they added those "difference makers" in Howard and Judkins. But, I'd say their experience was as much as a factor as their talent. And they were the right players to fill the right holes in their roster. Howard was certainly no elite QB at K State, but I would say Judkins was an above average RB. But add him with Henderson, and you've got a dynamic, talented duo. And even though Ohio State struggled with their O-line in the first half of the season, they ended up with a pretty good squad that managed to be good enough to help win a Natty.
Personally, I don't think Gunner is our guy to take us to the promised land. At least, I haven't seen much from him considering how long he has been in the Dawg's system. Sure, he's tough, but I'd take someone like Dante Moore at Oregon instead. I'm ready to eat my words if Gunner proves me wrong, We've got the best WR group that we've had in a long time. If Gunner can't connect vertically with these guys or they can't make separation then something is drastically wrong with the players or our coaches.
@MontanaDawg Ohio State's best player last season was a true freshman. But otherwise you are correct: senior leadership at RB (two of them), the other WR position (who had 2 TDs in his first NFL game), QB and especially at DE (Jack Sawyer, a rare difference maker who wasn't drafted very high for some reason) got them the title that they didn't get in years when they had more talented rosters. So I will concede you the point. Still think that UGA wins though.
By the way, Gunner Stockton showed decent enough arm strength against Texas and Notre Dame. The problem in those games were guys getting open and catching the ball.
Vanilla offense is fine if you just win on the road in the SEC, baby, and that’s all I’ll say about that…
“It’ll be interesting to see as people creep up in our league,” Smart said, “are we able to throw it beyond them.”_____CKS
A subtle warning to the Vols.....Translation......"Get ready for your 10th Loss....no matter what you do, on Defense...we have an answer.". Lol
Go Get em boys. Run the Gunner!!
IMO....last year's biggest issue was injuries....which effected depth. However.… the young pups that had to cover for the more senior injured guys, last year....are back.
And they came back a lot further along, than they otherwise would've been due to all the added quality reps, in '24. Lord Kirby, works in mysterious ways. Lol
We will find out all of the answers Saturday to what we do not know. Which is a lot.
I expect a close game and our defense to keep us where we need to be to win it in the 2nd half.
Sure would be great to start fast on offense for a change though. I mean light their orange backsides up and hang 50 on them!
You're absolutely right, my friend. Imo...it could go either way, depending on how Kirby is setting up teams down the road.
Imo...you have to approach the season with a strategy....just like you do, for a game. That's why I take each game for what it is.…or, what I think it is.
For instance.…imo.…The last two games were nothing more than an extremely valuable extension of Fall Camp. Where you're working on teamwork and consistency....as well as individual training & crosstraining.
The real season begins for Kirby's Dawgs, this Saturday.
1. CKS could either......Have a coming out party for the offense and light up the scoreboard and stat sheet to try to perpetrate a little intimidation, fear and respect from the rest of the teams on their schedule....as well as.…send out a call to all top 100 recruits to "come and get some".
2. OR.....He could just chop em up with a grueling run game...and challenge his defense to play elite football, by shutting em down like they did in '22...for the same reasons as [1.].…in addition to getting in as many ground game reps as possible to build trust and improve communications on the offensive line.
With 2 weeks to lick their wounds and heal during the BYE Week following Knoxville....Kirby will probably go with "Ground Game & Defense"....And save the Offensive Explosion for Bama and the Home crowd.
If they were slingin' the ball around and throwing deep frequently...vs Marshall and AP.…..I'd be a little worried. Cause that would be the equivalent of a "No Confidence Vote" on Stockton and the passing game.
As it is....I think both Kirby and Bobo are comfortable with their ability to pass the ball....or that's what they would've been practicing, the last two weeks.
That's just an opinion...but either way....Dawgs WIN!!!! And, that's most important. Lol
Imo....The Dawgs have a great mix of talent & experience this season. With a lot more depth than they had last season [so far]. Else they probably would've at least been runner-up...if not outright Champions, last year.
As for dragging in "last year".…which really doesn't have a whole lot of bearing on "this year", imo.….UGA beat the snot out of Texas "last year". Twice! OSU only beat the Horns by 7 points....scoring a whopping 14 points total.
That Texas Defense had nothing to do with Manning's performance. They did their job and shut down a supposedly high-powered offense. And, OSU did the same to them.
I don't think either team can stop UGA. That's not based on what we saw over the last 2 weeks....but, based on what we "haven't seen". If that makes sense to you.
I may be wrong.…but, i don't think there's a team out there, that can beat UGA consistently. Imo....the Dawgs would win 8 out of 10 games vs Texas or OSU.
IMO.....A LOT of unknowns this year....but, UGA's Standard ain't one of em. And, 2025's Volunteers are no better than 2022's Vols.....and, the Dawgs are twice as good on the backend as they were in '22.. Dawgs WIN!!!!
UGA..............45
TENN.........…13