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.
This year's Crimson Tide (11-1) have allowed an average of just 264.6 yards per game entering Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game against Florida (10-2).
Smart led Donnan's Bulldogs in interceptions during the 1997 and '98 seasons, and he made the SEC academic honor roll all four years before graduating with a degree in finance. With a desired playing career in the NFL quickly axed in a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts, Smart became interested in coaching, and Donnan was able to create a role for him as an administrative assistant.
"He was kind of the guy who analyzed other teams and broke down the films and looked at the offenses of the other teams," Donnan said. "When we were ready to start getting the game plan for our defense, it was already set, so he really did a good job of that."
After a year in that role, Smart spent the 2000 season as Valdosta State University's secondary coach and the '01 season as the Division II program's defensive coordinator. He then went to Florida State University as a graduate assistant for the 2002 and '03 seasons under Bobby Bowden and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, earning his master's at FSU in '03.
Saban led LSU to the 2003 national championship but was growing tired of a revolving door that had developed as far as secondary coaches.
"I was looking for a good, young, smart, aggressive secondary coach that we could sort of develop," Saban said earlier this week. "We had gone through a couple of years of hiring a secondary coach who would only be there a year, so I wanted to get a younger guy and sort of grow and develop with the guy and have the guy with me for a while.
"It's worked out great. He's been with me for a while and has done a great job. He understands the back end, which is critical to being a good coordinator, and he coaches the linebackers now and does a good job with that."
Saban was asked following Wednesday's practice about Smart's impending departure to become Georgia's next head coach but said, "It's not my real position to confirm any of this stuff."
Smart spent just the 2004 season at LSU with Saban, who left for a two-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. Smart spent the 2005 season as Georgia's running backs coach, helping the Bulldogs to their most recent SEC title, and then reunited with Saban as the Dolphins' safeties coach.
Despite winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in 2009 - he's a finalist again this year - Smart's ability to be a head coach has been questioned due to the perception that it's always been "Saban's defense." Saban has bristled at that notion multiple times before, as did Donnan on Wednesday.
"That can be a general feeling for a lot of assistant coaches who have worked under really good head coaches," Donnan said, "like someone who was Steve Spurrier's offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator under Gary Patterson. Nick Saban is a good coach and tells you what he wants, but he's got to run the game as a head coach and delegate everything else.
"Kirby has made all the calls in three national championship games. I'm sure Nick, like any coach, might suggest something every once in a while, but there is no question Kirby has had an enormous responsibility and a lot to do with their success."
News of Smart's impending hire broke Tuesday night, and it was quickly followed by an Al.com report that Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran would be following Smart from Tuscaloosa. Cochran was an assistant strength coach with Saban on LSU's '03 title team and has overseen the Tide's program since Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in '07.
Donnan believes that landing Cochran would be no small accomplishment for Smart given the importance of that position.
"The strength coach has more contact with the players than any coach on your staff," Donnan said. "They see them a lot more than the assistants, who can't be around the players during the offseason because they're recruiting or because of summer rules, and player development is so key that I think the strength coach is a huge position.
"This is an 11-man move. You're getting a head coach, nine assistant coaches and a strength coach, and all 11 are going to have to work in concert. They better be All-SEC coaches, because when you have an All-SEC running back, you need an All-SEC running backs coach. You need an All-SEC tight ends coach. Every position needs guys who can recruit, develop players and coach during the game, so it's an 11-man move here."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.