WATCH: Kirby Smart Talks Georgia Tech Rivalry, Updates Injury Report
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 (mumbling)
00:02 - Straight to questions today.
00:04 Only few of us sponsors available
00:05 with the new book over there.
00:06 Raise your hand if you have a question,
00:09 get the remote mic to you
00:10 and a reminder that live streaming is released.
00:13 Raise your hands.
00:15 - Kirby, how has practice been so far this week?
00:19 - Good.
00:20 They've responded well.
00:21 We didn't do a lot yesterday.
00:22 We tried to, you know, get our legs back,
00:25 getting back from Knoxville
00:26 and went over some special teams things
00:31 and worked on some situational football stuff
00:33 and then got after it really good today.
00:35 We did have to go inside,
00:37 but we had a good practice physical.
00:40 I thought both teams tried to get better
00:43 and we need to have a better day tomorrow.
00:45 I mean, it wasn't our best Tuesday,
00:46 but it was a good work day.
00:47 They had good energy.
00:48 - You talk about getting legs back,
00:51 couple of banged up guys, Ladd and Rah-Rah,
00:53 what have they been able to do this week?
00:55 - Not much.
00:57 Ladd's still recovering.
00:58 Tried to get him back.
01:01 I don't know if they'll do much.
01:02 We'll find out more tomorrow and the next day.
01:04 Rah-Rah hasn't either.
01:06 We've been keeping the weight
01:07 and the pressure off of it,
01:08 but hoping we can get him back as well.
01:11 We'll see.
01:12 - Yeah, Coach, I'm sure you've answered this question before
01:23 but I'm curious if it's updated.
01:24 What specific advantages do you think you garner
01:26 from coaching at your alma mater
01:28 like you and Coach Key obviously do?
01:31 - I think an understanding of the academic world,
01:34 navigating the campus, knowing what's going on on campus.
01:38 You know, the alumni base, which is a part of fundraising,
01:42 the Letterman base in terms of the guys you played with,
01:46 plus the guys that played before you
01:48 and the guys that played after you and in between.
01:50 There's a connection there.
01:51 It's not that you can't have it if you didn't play there,
01:53 but it certainly puts you a little bit ahead.
01:55 - Yeah, I just wanted to ask you about Jordan Hall
02:07 and how he's developed over the course of the season,
02:09 trying to become a contributor for you guys
02:11 on the defensive line.
02:12 - Yeah, he works really hard.
02:13 He's one of those guys that goes down
02:14 to the scout defensive line.
02:16 He takes reps down there every day
02:18 against our offensive line.
02:19 That's just a grind.
02:20 I mean, I've seen kids now for eight years
02:23 go down there and develop callus, get roughed up,
02:27 play hard, and with Warren's injury,
02:30 he's been getting more snaps,
02:32 and I can see the benefit of going against
02:34 our offensive line like he has.
02:36 And, you know, we're a little thin on the defensive line,
02:39 thinner than we've ever been,
02:41 and he's been a big part of getting better
02:44 and growing up on that side of the ball.
02:46 - Just wondering, Coach, Bloody Tuesday,
02:52 is that typically something you don't want
02:56 to have to do inside, or do you do it inside
03:00 just as often as you do outside on Tuesdays?
03:03 And then the second part of that is just,
03:05 I think Tech has natural turf this year.
03:07 Is that right?
03:08 Haven't they changed it?
03:09 - We had turf when we played there last time.
03:11 - Does that matter much to you about practicing on grass
03:15 versus whatever you're playing on that week?
03:18 - It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal.
03:20 I mean, we would be outside today.
03:22 Even though we play on turf there, if we could be.
03:26 We went inside because we wanted to have a good practice,
03:28 and we did get to practice on turf.
03:30 Our turf is not exactly like their turf, but it's turf.
03:34 So it's probably a little more tiring
03:36 on your legs to go on the turf.
03:38 We try to stay off of it more often than not,
03:41 but at the expense of not having a good, crisp practice,
03:46 we go in.
03:47 And as far as Bloody Tuesday, it doesn't matter.
03:49 I mean, our kids practice hard.
03:51 Sometimes we have bigger collisions in there,
03:53 and we have better speeds,
03:54 and temperatures and things like that
03:57 are under control in there.
03:59 - How much have Tate and Warren
04:02 been able to do so far this week?
04:04 - Warren took some reps today.
04:05 I thought he did a good job pushing through.
04:07 Tate's much better moving, running, but didn't take reps.
04:11 - Coach, you mentioned after the Tennessee game,
04:16 the familiarity of the staffs.
04:17 When you look at the Georgia Tech offense,
04:19 I know they have different personnel,
04:21 but do you see, you recognize a lot of concepts?
04:23 Is this gonna be kind of a game
04:25 where everybody knows what the other guys have
04:27 in their toolbox, so to speak?
04:29 - Well, I think we know that every game.
04:30 I mean, there's no way of going out there
04:32 and running new plays.
04:33 They're running new formations, new ways to window dress it,
04:36 and they do a good job of that.
04:37 They change it up each week, the way they go about it.
04:39 They look and see what's giving us problems,
04:41 and they'll run some of those,
04:42 but there's similarities for sure.
04:45 A lot of things that Buster did here,
04:48 or we did here, he does there.
04:50 So there's overlap,
04:52 but they'll have a different way to present it.
04:54 It'll be who can respond to that,
04:57 and acknowledge it, and adjust to it,
04:59 and what they do off of it.
05:00 - What do you feel like the way Kendall has played
05:08 in this last probably month says about him,
05:10 especially the fact that he has worked through
05:13 so many different injuries,
05:14 and is now playing like he is?
05:16 - Yeah, he's a high character.
05:17 Pain tolerance is high.
05:20 He works really hard.
05:21 He runs tough.
05:24 I mean, he seeks out contact,
05:26 and he's a good leader,
05:29 and he's done a great job.
05:31 The last game, the thing he did so great
05:33 that people don't talk about is the pass pickups.
05:34 I think he had four really big pickups in pressure
05:39 that allowed Carson to stand in the pocket.
05:42 That's not the back's favorite thing to do,
05:44 and he did it like a stud.
05:48 - Yeah, with Dylan, obviously,
05:51 he's a guy that can help you at running back
05:52 and play the position,
05:53 but why is his future brighter?
05:56 He may be seen as a better wide receiver prospect
05:58 for you guys.
05:59 - Why is his future?
06:01 Are you saying that?
06:02 - Just why does he want to play that position
06:06 and see himself at that spot?
06:08 - Well, I think the longevity of that position
06:10 projects a little better.
06:11 I think the NFL's constantly looking for guys like Dylan.
06:15 They seek that because it's a value add for them
06:18 that a guy can go play back
06:20 and they don't have to spend money on him.
06:22 He's durable.
06:23 He has good bulk.
06:24 Some reason we signed him, he's over 200 pounds,
06:27 so he has a multi-purpose ability.
06:30 Why does he want to play receiver?
06:33 I think he likes receiver.
06:34 That's why he wants to play it,
06:35 but he's good at both.
06:37 - Kirby, along with game preparation,
06:40 how much time does the staff spend now
06:42 on roster management,
06:43 knowing the portal's gonna open
06:44 and decisions are gonna happen for some of these players?
06:47 Do you have a good handle on that for your program?
06:49 - Yeah, I don't know anybody that's got a good handle on it
06:51 'cause you don't know what the truth is.
06:53 You don't know where the truth lies.
06:55 We communicate.
06:56 We try to keep open lines of communication.
06:57 We meet with our players periodically
07:01 and we tell them an open-door policy
07:03 to come talk about things.
07:05 We'd rather be in the know than in the dark.
07:07 Sometimes we're in the dark.
07:09 Sometimes we're in the know.
07:10 All you can do is be as transparent as you can
07:12 and try to find out.
07:14 You're asking do we have a grasp of it or a handle on it?
07:16 I don't think anybody has a handle on it.
07:18 I think you prepare the best you can
07:21 and you try to have plan A, B, C, D, E
07:24 and you put 'em in motion when the time comes.
07:26 - Kirby, do you think Georgia will always play Georgia Tech
07:31 or with some of the changes in college football
07:34 and scheduling, is there any possibility
07:37 that it would not be an annual game at some point?
07:40 (laughs)
07:41 - I don't have any clues to that.
07:44 I mean, that's so probably above my scope.
07:48 I mean, I'm just walking off the field
07:50 from a Tuesday practice to prepare for Tech.
07:52 I can't even fathom a world where we wouldn't play 'em.
07:56 I guess it could happen,
07:58 but that's just probably out of my scope.
08:03 Do I want it to happen?
08:05 Absolutely not.
08:06 It's a great rivalry game.
08:07 It's great for our state.
08:08 It's great for both universities.
08:11 I mean, it's a longstanding tradition.
08:14 So no, I don't want it to happen,
08:16 but I don't know what the foreseeable future has.
08:19 - We're going to talk to Chaz here in a couple of minutes.
08:26 What have you made of the play
08:26 of the outside linebacker room
08:28 as he and Marvin are really splitting reps there
08:30 and it seems like Jalen's getting some reps
08:32 on the edge as well.
08:34 - Yeah, I've been pleased with those guys.
08:35 They're really hard workers.
08:37 You know, it's been tough 'cause early in the season
08:40 we didn't get a lot of opportunities for those guys.
08:42 They've done a good job being really physical
08:47 at the point of attack.
08:48 We asked them to do a lot of different things.
08:50 You know, the game against Tennessee,
08:52 we were in three down front a lot
08:53 and they were dropping in space.
08:55 Then they're rushing some
08:56 and you know, you gotta be a jack of all trades to do that.
09:00 We stacked them back, made them play inside back or some.
09:02 So they've done a lot of different things.
09:04 I've been really pleased with those guys.
09:06 (mouse clicking)
09:09 - Yeah, Coach, I believe you're three and one
09:12 as a player in this series.
09:14 I'm just curious what you remember about those matchups.
09:17 I believe they were all really tight football games.
09:20 - Yeah, I was here five years, so I don't know.
09:22 I was four and one, not three and one.
09:24 I mean, I was redshirted,
09:25 so I guess you don't count that one,
09:26 but still part of the team.
09:28 I don't remember much, honestly.
09:31 I just know that they were tight.
09:34 They were really close, you know,
09:36 last possession of the game, tight games,
09:38 at least the last two I was in.
09:40 Came down to the last possession
09:41 and it seems like this robbery was that way
09:44 for a lot of the years I was around.
09:46 That's all I really remember about it.
09:49 - Yeah, Coach, just checking up on some lucky snap counts.
10:00 Is it just not using a whole lot of double tight end
10:04 or is it Brock being back or where's he at
10:07 and how's he come along this season?
10:09 - Yeah, I mean, Oscar and Brock are ahead of him
10:12 and those guys playing pretty good, if you ask me.
10:16 I mean, we don't have a 13 personnel with him.
10:19 We got pretty good wide outs.
10:20 I mean, you want Dylan on the sideline
10:22 or you want Ladd or Marcus or you want to take out,
10:25 but it's about finding our best personnel.
10:28 I'm very pleased with what Lawson's done.
10:31 When you only have, you know, when Brock's out,
10:34 for us to go 12, Lawson's got to go play
10:36 and he's getting better.
10:38 But when they're both available, you know,
10:41 Lawson's got to be one of them out
10:42 or he's got to be better than the third wide out.
10:45 And we're trying to use the strengths of our team
10:49 and he's only a freshman,
10:50 so I don't know how many of those freshman wide outs
10:53 out there are playing.
10:54 So the fact he's been out there playing
10:55 tells you he's a pretty good football player.
10:58 - What did you learn about Amarius Mims
11:01 as he sort of fought and came back from that ankle injury
11:04 he suffered earlier in the season
11:05 to get back to where he is helping you guys now?
11:08 - That he knows how to work.
11:09 He knows how to rehab.
11:10 I mean, he was here early, stayed late
11:12 for all his rehab sessions.
11:13 He's committed to that part.
11:15 I think he cares about his body.
11:17 You know, he's one of the lowest body fat guys
11:19 we have on our team for that size.
11:20 It's crazy what his body fat is.
11:24 So you can tell he takes care of his body
11:27 and he knows that's important.
11:28 And that was the same way with the rehab process.
11:31 I mean, he was committed to it.
11:33 - Any other questions?
11:38 - Coach, I guess you've obviously spoken a lot,
11:45 having a lot of respect for Brent Key.
11:46 How well did you know him
11:48 before he became the head coach at Georgia Tech?
11:51 - I mean, you know, the circles, the coaching circles,
11:55 we would see each other, I think,
11:57 maybe at conventions, always on the road recruiting.
12:00 I was not at Bama with him, I don't think.
12:02 I think he was at Bama right after me,
12:04 but we always were connected through that.
12:07 We had mutual friends.
12:09 A lot of the guys that came to us from UCF
12:12 had been on O'Leary's staff.
12:14 And so he had been with O'Leary at UCF
12:17 and a lot of common friendships.
12:19 So I've known him and he played
12:21 around the same time I did too.
12:22 So I've known him for a long time.
12:25 - Lucky to see our touchdown.
12:26 - Thanks, everyone.
12:27 - Have a good night.