When defensive back Kirby Smart signed a scholarship in 1994 with the University of Georgia, he was overshadowed in a class that contained All-Americans such as defensive lineman Travis Stroud and versatile offensive threat Hines Ward.
Two years later, when Jim Donnan replaced Ray Goff as head coach, Smart was just beginning to make a name for himself.
“When I first got there, you always try to analyze guys, and he was much faster than he looked,” Donnan said Wednesday. “He was a really smart player and was a really competitive guy, too, but what really stood out was how he knew how to get the defense lined up.
“He was a quarterback on the field and ended up being the captain of the team.”
Smart, barring any 11th-hour snags, will be the captain of Georgia’s entire football program early next week. He is in his ninth season as an Alabama assistant under Nick Saban and the seventh as defensive coordinator, having annually turned out one of the most dominant units in the country while currently earning a salary of $1.5 million.