With Florida leading early in the fourth quarter and in possession of the ball at Everbank Stadium last Saturday, the confident fans wearing blue honored the tradition of vocalizing a favorite verse at the start of the fourth quarter.
Even though there was time on the clock for Georgia to work a little magic—which the Bulldogs have become good at lately—the Gator fans in west stands began swaying side to side and broke out with their time-honored anthem.
“We are the boys from old Flor-i-dah,
“Down where the old Gators play,
“In all kinds of weather, we’ll stick together for,
“F-L-O-R-I-D-A.”
That may not be the exact words of the original author, but you hear those lyrics following the conclusion of three quarters—and also when victory is smelled. However, it is best not to spit in the eye of these Bulldogs. The old saw, “Never count your chickens before they hatch,” trumped the ritual hymn of the Florida partisans.
This is the era of selfishness. Many college players couldn’t care less about fight songs. Since they are mainly focused on their draft potential and their latest name, image, and likeness deal, many of them don’t give a flip about a degree.
Let’s pause and reflect. Has there ever been a greater trade-off in our society than to play a sport in exchange for a free education? Some still want that, glory be, but the preponderance is swayed toward “going for the money.”
We are now a society with skewed conventions. For example, the Founding Fathers thought it was every American’s right to own a gun. After all, there was not a militia to keep bad guys from taking over your homestead. Furthermore, you needed a gun to kill your supper.
The right to bear arms today is often linked to mass shootings of innocent people and all sorts evil by demented people who should have no right to own a firearm—yet Congress keeps failing us. I’m a hunter, but I would be pleased to endure restrictions if that would help take guns off the street and away from the wrong element.
Focusing on the mores of college football today, this NIL business is not going away. It obviously is here to stay, which is why all UGA alumni should include with their daily bread a tip of the cap to their seasoned head coach, who has honorable intentions when it comes to the total university. It is obvious that he has become expert at managing the NIL process.
With Penn State, LSU, Florida, Auburn, and a half dozen others paying coaches not to coach, any reasonable pontificator can easily conclude that it is a shame what the campus has become. What could an exalted researcher at State College, Pennsylvania, or Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and other campuses do with the millions being paid to a coach for him to go away? They might do something like finding a cure for cancer.
It doesn’t matter if your alma mater has the biggest NIL payroll in the NCAA (yes that organization still exists) if it loses the locker room. As much as the current Bulldog coach underscores discipline, fundamentals, and ameliorating the contingencies of the game—which can often be the difference on the scoreboard—he does not want to create an imbalance when it comes to the NIL function.
Kirby Smart is a man who loves what he is doing. He is driven to see his alma mater succeed. He learned to be a competitor in grade school as a swimmer in summer competitions. If you know his background, you conclude he was the epitome of the concept of the “student–athlete.”
He can relate to today’s kids. They respect him and his “way.” His current team is not as talented as some of his others, such as his two national championship teams, but it finds a way to win. There is harmony in the clubhouse, there is togetherness and bonding, there is resolve and a discipline that seems to be absent from many teams.
His players know to respect their opponent—not to taunt and trash talk. His teams are imbued with courage and fight, which is why they keep winning. However, underscoring the right principles and putting an emphasis on discipline and fundamentals unfortunately does not guarantee victory. The competition is just too good across the board in college football today.
If you do it the “Kirby Way,” the percentages will reward you more often than not. He wants the ultimate success for his players, but remember this is a man who has a basic core that is linked to “the old-fashioned way.” Also, his love of alma mater is a driving force in his goals and objectives.
No coach can cut through the chase better than this man who wanted to be the valedictorian of his graduating class as much as he wanted to make all-state in football. Neither honor came his way, but the goal of trying to always do his best has enabled him to become the most successful coach in the country for the first 10 years of his career. He wants his players to understand that things like discipline, good habits, and never giving up will bode well for them in the world that awaits them.
The results speak for themselves. If you want to carp about a play that didn’t work or a game that was lost, have at it, but tell me who out there would you choose to coach your team over Kirby Paul Smart.
I say again—even with several critical games remaining—this may be the best coaching job of his young career. I’m a Kirby man, and everyday I raise a toast for what he has done for his alma mater.