Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart appeared on Day 2 of the SEC Media Days in Nashville. Leaving his quarterbacks behind and bringing along Sedrick Van Pran, Kamari Lassiter, and Brock Bowers instead. In his opening statement, Smart reflected on the team’s back-to-back national championships and shared his keys to success for the upcoming season. As Kirby Smart looks ahead to 2023, he addressed the highs and lows experienced by Dawg Nation this offseason, the battle against complacency, the importance of intrinsic motivation, and the need for leadership that embraces the costs it entails.
Better Never Rests: Kirby Smart Looks Ahead to 2023
The 2023 offseason has been a whirlwind for Smart, the team, and the fans. After Ohio State turned into a pumpkin as the clock struck 12 in the semifinals on New Year’s Eve, Georgia destroyed TCU in the national championship game. Georgia became the first team to win back-to-back national championships in the CFP era. Six days later, after celebrating with a championship parade in Athens, the team lost tackle Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy in an automobile accident. Smart spoke about how the incident, with the help of two Georgia staffers, brought the team closer together.
“A tragedy can either divide or unite us. I’m proud of our players. It has brought them closer together and united our team and our family. But some of the leadership that helped us, we have a rising star in our athletic department in Reese Griffin, senior deputy director of athletics,” Smart told the gathered media. “She’s been there for me, our players, and many others during these tough times. Thomas Settles, our team chaplain. What an incredible asset he has been to our players, coaches, and the people in our organization.” Here are some of the key takeaways Smart shared for the team to find success in 2023.
Battling Complacency
The battle against complacency was a key topic that Smart addressed. With back-to-back national titles, Georgia faces the challenge of maintaining its success. Smart stressed the importance of acknowledging complacency as a threat and highlighted how he seeks to stomp it out in his program. “We want to find people who love football and embrace a selfless role. Those two qualities, loving football and embracing being selfless, are not dependent on outcomes. They’re not dependent on win or loss. Did I get a sack? Did I touch the ball?”
This sentiment carries over from an early message before Spring Ball kicked off in March. Georgia’s social media feed posted a video of an equipment manager packing equipment and sweeping up confetti off the floor. The posts had three simple words: turn the page. To help turn the page and stomp out complacency, Smart and his staff found inspiration from the New Zealand All Black.
Better Never Rests
The New Zealand All Blacks are New Zealand’s national rugby union team. They are considered one of the world’s most successful and renowned rugby teams. They have won multiple Rugby World Cups and have a strong reputation for their skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Smart revealed that the team studied and adopted the All-Blacks’ mantra of, “Better never rests” to motivate themselves. “We believe that those are strong words now when you think about it. Our kids understand it. Our kids have learned it. What drives us for this season is intrinsic motivation. We won’t be controlled by outside narratives, what people say, and who will be the quarterback.”
Leadership
Those values were key in Smart’s decision to bring Bowers, Lassiter, and Van Pran-Ganger to Nashville. Smart shared three costs great leaders must be willing to accept.
- Make hard decisions that negatively affect people you care about.
- Be disliked despite your best attempts to do the best for the most.
- Be misunderstood and won’t always have the opportunity to defend yourself.
He shared how Bowers’ work ethic and determination showed up during a summer drill. A younger teammate stated they were going to beat Bowers in the drill. Bowers let his younger teammate work and went out and beat him and the rest of the group quietly and convincingly. “It just shows his work ethic and how hard he competes at everything he does, and does it with silence.”
Lassiter was a “Covid baby,” one of 20 players signed during the pandemic. They didn’t get official visits. Lassiter’s persistence helped make his dream of becoming a GerogiaBulldog come true. “This guy must have sent us 800 videos of himself during Covid because he wanted to prove he was worthy of a Georgia scholarship, and he earned that.”
Smart recounted a conversation with Van Pran after what Smart called a “lackluster practice” at SoFi stadium in preparation for the national championship. “Sedrick tapped me on the shoulder and said, Coach Smart, you really hurt my feelings when you said that I didn’t want to practice and didn’t want to be here, and I thought, this dude is serious, and he remembers everything you say, and it matters to him. He cares about this team a lot, and it means a lot to him, and he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.”
Staff Continuity
Smart also credited the continuity in the coaching staff and emphasized the importance of retention for sustaining success. “We have 26 UGA grads on our staff. Every full-time coach on this year’s staff – listen to me carefully – every full-time coach on this year’s staff was on last year’s staff. Tell me the last time a National Championship team can say that,” Smart said. “The same strength and conditioning coach, Scott Sinclair; the same player development coach, Jonas Jennings; and the same athletic trainer, Ron Courson, has been at our place for eight consecutive years, the entire time I’ve been there.” Smart did have to replace his offensive coordinator this season when Todd Monken left to go to the Baltimore Ravens. He was replaced with Mike Bobo, an analyst on Georgia’s staff last season.
Save The History Lesson
A reporter asked Smart about the possibility of a three-peat and how no team has won three straight national championships since Minnesota in 1935. Smart dismissed the historical significance, instead emphasizing that his focus was not on achieving a three-peat or any specific outcome but on combating complacency and allowing his team to strive for excellence. “No offense to the Minnesota 1935 team, but I don’t know if it will resonate with my audience. We will try to – and I don’t care about the three-peat, the two Pete, or the one Pete. I care about complacency. If the focus is on that and the outcomes, I think the rest will take care of itself by allowing our guys to focus on being the best they can be.”
Photo courtesy: Denny Simmons / USA TODAY NETWORK
