Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has been extended a formal offer for the same position at Georgia, the Tuscaloosa News reported Saturday.
Citing "multiple sources," the paper reported that Smart has a written contract but has not made a decision on whether to remain with the Crimson Tide or leave for another stint at his alma mater. Smart played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995 to '98, was an administrative assistant under Jim Donnan in 1999 and was Mark Richt's running backs coach in 2005.
Georgia's offer, according to the News, is expected to be well in excess of Smart's annual income at Alabama. He had a base salary of just under $400,000 this past season, but incentives from Alabama's recent run to the national championship pushed him above that total.
Smart was Nick Saban's defensive backs coach at LSU in 2004 and his safeties coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2006 and has been his defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2007. Friday, one day after the Tide topped Texas 37-21 in the BCS title game, Saban made it clear what he thinks about lateral coaching moves.
"I'm always happy and interested for our coaches to be able to advance professionally, especially if it's a professional advancement in terms of a guy being a coordinator who can go be a head coach in a situation where he has a chance to be successful," Saban said. "I'm not pleased when guys make lateral moves, because it's a little bit human nature to think -- like my dad used to say, 'The grass is always greener on top of the septic tank.' You always think it's better someplace else.
"You kind of let your ego get involved, and you make moves that you shouldn't make that really aren't in your best interest from a career standpoint, so I'm not happy when guys do that."
The Bulldogs have been without three defensive coaches since Dec. 2, when Richt fired coordinator Willie Martinez, ends coach Jon Fabris and linebackers coach John Jancek. Fabris since has been hired by Louisville and Jancek by Cincinnati.