As fans, we have a tendency to burn a bridge with a player or coach once they associate with a rival school. Can you imagine how someone like Paul Johnson or Steve Spurrier would be received on the field in Athens. The first reaction might be jeering or accusations of being a secret operative, even if they are not an active coach.
But in the coaching fraternity, you never sever ties. Need more proof? Consider who was a visitor in Athens at Tuesday’s practice. None other than former Florida coach Billy Napier, who was part of a star-studded staff under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa that included Kirby Smart among others.
Could Napier be in Athens as a receivers coach? That’s a down-the-road speculation. At the least, it’s hard not to think that his conversation with UGA coaches had to do with in-person observations from coaching and beating Texas earlier this year, Georgia’s opponent on Saturday.
Turnover happens on coaching staffs, and if Georgia has a slot to fill, either on the field or as an analyst, you can do much worse than Napier.
If players want a big bag of NIL money and nothing else, that’s fine. But if their focus on the college level is to make it to the NFL, Kirby Smart does not have to say anything. He only needs to pull up this post-game photo from after Monday night’s game between the Eagles and Packers.
Oh, and it’s probably not a coincidence that a massive amount of defensive players from the 2021 team was involved in a low-scoring game..
You expect any player to progress over a season. Kirby Smart sees the same in Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Look, it was easy to take potshots at Manning due to very unrealistic hype in the off-season from those that barely watch football regularly. But there’s a reason Georgia was among the teams that very heavily courted Manning for his services. A player that talented will improve, and we’ll see on Saturday if that’s enough to get a win in Athens.
Go Dawgs!
