Georgia’s Coach Kirby Smart Just Revealed the Biggest Problem Facing College Football and It’s Not the Players
After leading his Georgia team to a National Championship victory, coach Kirby Smart was on top of the world. But as the college football season comes to a close and many student-athletes and coaches make decisions on next steps, Smart has revealed what he believes to be is the biggest problem facing college football right now.
"It worries me where the game of college football is going", said Georgia Coach Kirby Smart in an interview following his National Championship victory.
It was a victory where his Bulldogs team used a late-push to leave Nick Saban and Alabama in the dust. A victory where a storied quarterback, Stetson Bennett, got to bring a National Championship trophy back to his home-state. Oh yea, Bennett had quite the appearance on 'Good Morning America' following that victory as well.
It was the program's first national championship in 41 years. After such a great accomplishment, what could Coach Kirby Smart be so worried about?
Changes in College Football
The NCAA shook up the world of college athletics with their decision last summer to allow student-athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Especially for college football, this opened up a new avenue of possibilities for students looking to make money while playing the sport they so-love. That world of possibility, of course, would come with some problems.
Needless to say, there are lots of dollars flowing through the college football industry. Just take a look at what the top-four teams from this past season are paying their respective coaches alone via @SMKleinman on Twitter here.
With all of that money comes high expectations. That goes for coaches, staff, student-athletes, and everyone else involved in making college football happen. Add in the new chance for student-athletes to profit off of their NIL and you get a recipe for chaos and confusion.
Georgia Coach Kirby Smart Reveals the Biggest Problem Facing College Football
With an ever-changing landscape requiring members of college football coaching staffs to put in even more time and effort to getting their programs where they are expected to be, Coach Smart has pointed out the fact that many coaches are leaving the college football arena altogether.
Check out the clip that is being discussed via Twitter @LateKickJosh below.
Smart's main concern is that some of college football's top coaches are leaving for the NFL. Smart believes that these coaches do not want to deal with NIL, the transfer portal, constant recruiting, and all of the other requirements of college football coaches. These people want time to spend with their families, per Coach Smart, and the job that is being a college football coach simply does not permit very much personal time at all.
See a couple of reactions to the Smart's concern via Twitter here.
How have changes in College Football hit the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns?
Locally, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns just had to say goodbye to one of the best football coaches the program has ever seen in Billy Napier. One constant that I heard throughout Napier's tenure with the Cajuns was regarding his relentless work ethic. A family man with a massive love for football, the results showed just how much time he put in as he provided one winning season after another to the Cajuns faithful.
Just as Napier hit the highway for Gainesville, the assumption was that the coach would be taking some of his staff and even some players along with him. That belief proved true as guys like Montrell Johnson and O'Cyrus Torrence made their moves to become Florida Gators.
As Billy Napier secured his much-deserved 7-year, $52 Million contract with Florida, another example reared its head showing just how much money is flowing throughout Division I College Football. With all of the money being paid, all of the moves being made, it is no wonder why some coaches are choosing to go where there is less fluidity and more consistency.
While I have seen some over recent weeks put out the belief that the transfer portal and NIL are what will cause the downfall of college football, I believe that Coach Kirby Smart may be right in saying that it could be the expectations and time-strain put on college coaches that eventually brings about a decline.
If the right people aren't around to manage a college football ecosystem and the players within it, programs will struggle to find consistency. Without consistency, it is really tough to garnish a fan base or keep an existing fan base entertained. If the players are regularly shuffling around the country and coaches are having to constantly recruit in order to maintain their rosters, the burn-out effect will definitely play a factor in the longevity of any college football coach's career.
But you know what they say in football, you've got to have a "next-man-up" mentality in order to survive. There are certainly many people working in the football world whether that be in high school, Division II, or Junior College. These folks are most definitely looking for their day in the sun.
Nevertheless, will a college football coaching job in a Division I program that comes with such high expectations and requirements be as attractive in the coming years as it has in the past? We will have to wait and see to find out.
See the full interview with Kirby Smart via YouTube below.