"It was never like that at Georgia before": CFB insider makes bold Kirby Smart comparison to 7X national champ in latest analysis

Kirby Smart will enter his 10th season as the head coach of Georgia and his last decade's portfolio has been mesmerizing. The 49-year-old coach has been drawing parallels to the legends of the game, especially for his back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, while also maintaining the highest standards in the SEC.

The benchmarks he has set are crazy since a conference championship-winning season is also looked at as a failure in the Bulldogs' fan circle.

CFB insider Josh Pate shared his analysis on the veteran coach and looked back at his achievements.

“They didn't win the national title last year," Pate said (0:10) on his weekly podcast on Monday. "I know, I know it was viewed as a down year, and yet they won their conference.

"That's the standard that Kirby smart has set at Georgia. It was never like that at Georgia before, and I don't think it's ever been like that virtually anywhere other than where he used to work before he took the head job at Georgia.”

Pate claims Smart is the only coach to even remotely be able to do what Nick Saban has done at Alabama. The Georgia coach is a product of Saban's coaching tree. He worked in Tuscaloosa as an assistant for almost eight years (2008-15) before joining Georgia. He was known for his defensive strategies and even won four national championships.

“Now he's the only guy to even remotely come close to duplicating what Sabin had at Alabama; he was there for a long time," Pate added. "You could make a good argument that those defenses were never as good once he left as they were when he was there.

"There's a little bit, I think, to be said about how offenses sort of evolved simultaneously to Kirby leaving, but I would counter with, look at how good his defenses were when he got to Georgia."

Kirby Smart embraces expectations from Georgia fans

After starting quarterback Carson Beck's departure to Miami this offseason, Georgia will now have Gunner Stockton to start in 2025. They wrapped up last season with an 11-3 record. Despite an SEC championship win, the passionate Georgia fans were vying for the natty, something that Smart finds exhilarating.

While speaking to the reporters during spring practice, Smart mentioned that it was quite amusing to see how fans want more from the team. It motivates the team to keep moving forward.

He reiterated that the Bulldogs’ motives were clear and that a national championship could be a perfect gift that he could give back to the community.