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The Bulldog constituency has been generous over the years, but there needs to be a commitment of legacy donors, moving forward.
One of the things, Sam Pittman, coach of Georgia’s next opponent, immediately noticed was that Bulldog fans “really travel well.” He had not seen fans flock to out of town sites that surpassed that of UGA.
Not sure of the attendance figures from last week’s game in Nashville, but the dominant color at Dudley Field, both sides of the stadium, was flaming red. A friend living in South Bend, says that Notre Dame still talks about the excessive number of Georgia fans, who showed up for the game with the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in 2017. Georgia’s incumbent coach has remarkable vision and influences giving at all levels, which stimulates overt passion. He is as organized as he possibly could be. Eisenhower could have used him when the Supreme Allied Commander was planning the D-Day invasion.
Kirby’s recruiting acumen is unparalleled. His energy level is penthouselike— always at the top. He is smart, he is savvy and he is keenly balanced. While he is enthusiastic, he is never negatively emotional. He has keen judgment and never loses control. He can make cogent decisions under pressure.
On top of all that, he is well rounded. He enjoys quail hunting and golf in the off season but there is not much of that. He is committed to elevating, tweaking and enhancing his program every hour of the day the entire year.
With a Masters degree, he knows the value of a college education and wants that to come about for all his players. He supports University campaigns and programs. He is a proud donor to his alma mater. He gets high marks in all phases, but especially in recruiting, player management and development. He is an intellectual football coach who is on top of his game. I would say that Georgia got it right with Kirby Smart. Having said that, there is this reminder. None of that guarantees a national championship. However, to win a championship, you have to do the things he is doing.