The coaching carousel is getting busy.
It is being reported by AJC.com that the University of Georgia is expected to name Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart their next coach after the SEC Championship game.
Barring a last-minute snag in negotiations, Alabama’s Kirby Smart will become Georgia’s new football coach. An announcement could come as soon as Sunday or Monday.
Smart, 39, is the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator. He is from Bainbridge and was a UGA letterman (1995-98) and team captain as a senior.
Smart will bring in his own staff, but is expected to retain defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
Smart became the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country in June when he received a $150,000-a-year raise to $1.5 million. He has three years left on a four-year deal that includes a buyout thought to be in the range of $500,000.
While this was an expected hire for me, it will be somewhat of a surprising hire for some. Smart has been a name that has drawn head coach consideration for some time now, and he has passed several opportunities prior to this.
It will be a tall task asking a first time head coach to come in replace a coach like Mark Richt who was at Georgia for a long time, but I think Smart could prove to be a solid hire for the Bulldogs.
