One week from today, Kirby Smart will be on the eve of his first game as a head football coach.
Smart has spent nearly two decades working under others, most notably as Alabama’s defensive coordinator for Nick Saban the past several seasons, but he will lead Georgia next Saturday afternoon against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.
His first preseason as a head coach, at least to this point, has felt like those that came before.
“It’s the exact same as far as your time, because the hours you work are the hours you work,” Smart said this week in a news conference. “You have to stay a long time to prepare for the next practice and prepare for the next meeting. Making decisions on how to set the practice up is probably the biggest difference.”
Smart is making $3.75 million for working long hours and dealing with the pressures of running a high-profile program. He may be new to the head-coaching ranks, but the experience of beginning another season in the Southeastern Conference has become old hat.