Georgia coach Kirby Smart followed Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman on the main stage Monday during Sugar Bowl Media Day in New Orleans. Here is the unedited transcript of everything he had to say to the media and vice versa during a 50-minute press conference:
COACH SMART: It's an honor to be here today. Any time you get an opportunity to play in a Sugar Bowl, it's a special time. I think it's one of the most historic bowls there is. It's even better when it's part of the CFP.
Our guys have been hard at work in preparing for what is a great opponent in Notre Dame. I have a lot of respect for Coach [Marcus] Freeman and his staff.
We have intertwined staff. We've gone against each other at different times. I think we turn on the tape, their play speaks for itself, their physicality, their toughness.
I have a lot of respect for their program, and we're excited to be here, and very thankful that we get to play in a venue event, a historic game. All the classic Sugar Bowls I grew up watching, it's always great to be a part of that.
So, with that, I'll close it out.
Q. I just had a quick question about Notre Dame's physicality. How has it varied since you've played him in the past, since 2017, 2019? And would you say it has the physicality or the feel of an SEC team at times?
COACH SMART: Yeah, when we talk about their team, it's depth, like their backups, their starters, their offensive line, their receiving corps, their defensive line, they're big. And that's what it starts with in the SEC. The line of scrimmages have to have size and girth because you have to take on these teams week in and week out that have great size.
Notre Dame is built that way. They're built that way on paper. But then what you see on the tape speaks louder than the paper does. You see how they play. You see the toughness they play with.
The linebackers are downhill, thumping. The backs are elite. They're built like an SEC team. And I say that as a huge compliment, because I think those rosters are some of the most talented in the country. And Notre Dame is built that way, probably more on the side of physicality.
Q. First of all, yesterday, as you well know, Jimmy Carter died. I wonder if you ever had any chance to meet him, and what he -- and if you knew that he attended the Notre Dame-Georgia Sugar Bowl back in 1980.
COACH SMART: I didn't know that.
Q. Just what he meant to someone like you that's a native of Georgia, and would you like to see some kind of a salute to him tomorrow night at the game?
COACH SMART: Yeah, that's probably not a question for me to answer, as far as a salute to him.
But I certainly salute his life plan, his lifestyle, the way he lived his life. He embodies the Georgia culture in terms of being from a state, agricultural state. He's from a part of the state where I'm from, the southwest corner of the state. And there's so many things that he did for our state beyond people's even recognition.
Just the fact that he was President of the United States and was a fellow Georgian is a pretty special feat. And I didn't ever get to meet him personally. I have a lot of acquaintances, obviously, that know him. And tremendous amount of respect for what he did and what he meant to our state.
Q. James Franklin yesterday talked about the need for a commissioner of football, with everything that's going on. Suggested Nick [Saban] would be good for it. I don't think he's coming out of retirement.
Anyway, what do you feel like -- I saw you the other day when they asked you about everything going on in December, how much trouble -- the distractions with the NIL and transfer portal while you're trying to get ready.
Does college football need a different structure, a commissioner, and maybe something outside of what you have now with conferences calling their own calls?
COACH SMART: That's a really hard question and a really long question.
I don't know that it's as simple as saying, Let's name a commissioner and it solves all our problems. I don't think that's the case. I think we're governed by separate circumstances. Conferences govern us. NCAA governs us. Now we have courts governing us. And nobody is over all of those.
I think a commissioner would be a nice thing in theory, but what can they effectively get done if everybody can't agree on something?
And Nick would be great. I know he's a huge advocate for college football. He wants to make it better. He's always been a person that believed in leave it better than you found it, and I have a lot of respect for the way he does it.
But I'm probably not the guy that can tell you what a commissioner can and can't do in terms of making it a better process for all of us.
Q. Kirby, just very open-ended question, but what makes Gunner Stockton a good quarterback?
COACH SMART: Well, I think the number one thing a quarterback has to have is decision-making skill. Number one, he makes really good decisions.
Number two thing for a quarterback is accuracy. Not necessarily arm talent, but accuracy. He has accuracy. So decision-making is a skill. Accuracy is a huge skill.
Athletic ability and talent probably takes over third. He has those traits.
All the intangibles in terms of toughness, character, embody what he was raised on. His dad was a really good football player, played at Georgia Southern. He's been raised around football. He's a coach's son.
All the players play harder for him. Do you make the players around you better is what you look for in a quarterback. I think he raises the skill level of everybody around him because of who he is.
So that's my reason for believing he's a good quarterback.
Q. Kirby, a lot is going to be talked about Gunner [Stockton] leading up to this game. But what have you seen from your backups, Ryan [Puglisi] and Jaden Rashada in the game? Have you recognized one of the two as the number two quarterback?
COACH SMART: They've done a great job. Number one, it makes you realize how close you are to having to go in the game when it's the next thing. When you're sitting there with a guy between you and the guy, it's different than when you're the guy and you've got to be the next guy. And their reps have gone up.
So, in a weird way, it's been a blessing because I've seen both those kids really accelerate. You'd like to have seen that acceleration without this happening. But they've gotten more reps, they've gotten more important reps.
And they're taking all of Gunner's reps, because Gunner's taking all of Carson's [Beck] reps. I've been very pleased with both those guys. And I think they've embraced the role and understand it's just a lot more urgent now, and I'm proud of what both of them are doing.
Q. I was wondering if you could talk about Bryce Young, No. 30 on Notre Dame's defense, and how you prepare for such a young player with a unique skill set who can be kind of a game changer on special teams.
COACH SMART: Yeah, he is an exceptional player. I wasn't aware of him until we watched a little bit of tape on both Indiana and Notre Dame before we knew who we were going to play. And I was like, Who is this guy, 30? He is long. He is athletic. He twitchy.
And then while watching the game, he showed up more. It was like, he made some flash plays. He's rusher, he's edge. And then when I dug deeper into special teams, I'm like, This guy is phenomenal on special teams, his reach, his athleticism.
I mean, I don't know about what he lists, but he looks bigger than he lists on paper. And he's just going to be a phenomenal talent. To do what he's done this early in his career just shows you how talented he's going to be.
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COACH SMART: It's an honor to be here today. Any time you get an opportunity to play in a Sugar Bowl, it's a special time. I think it's one of the most historic bowls there is. It's even better when it's part of the CFP.
Our guys have been hard at work in preparing for what is a great opponent in Notre Dame. I have a lot of respect for Coach [Marcus] Freeman and his staff.
We have intertwined staff. We've gone against each other at different times. I think we turn on the tape, their play speaks for itself, their physicality, their toughness.
I have a lot of respect for their program, and we're excited to be here, and very thankful that we get to play in a venue event, a historic game. All the classic Sugar Bowls I grew up watching, it's always great to be a part of that.
So, with that, I'll close it out.
Q. I just had a quick question about Notre Dame's physicality. How has it varied since you've played him in the past, since 2017, 2019? And would you say it has the physicality or the feel of an SEC team at times?
COACH SMART: Yeah, when we talk about their team, it's depth, like their backups, their starters, their offensive line, their receiving corps, their defensive line, they're big. And that's what it starts with in the SEC. The line of scrimmages have to have size and girth because you have to take on these teams week in and week out that have great size.
Notre Dame is built that way. They're built that way on paper. But then what you see on the tape speaks louder than the paper does. You see how they play. You see the toughness they play with.
The linebackers are downhill, thumping. The backs are elite. They're built like an SEC team. And I say that as a huge compliment, because I think those rosters are some of the most talented in the country. And Notre Dame is built that way, probably more on the side of physicality.
Q. First of all, yesterday, as you well know, Jimmy Carter died. I wonder if you ever had any chance to meet him, and what he -- and if you knew that he attended the Notre Dame-Georgia Sugar Bowl back in 1980.
COACH SMART: I didn't know that.
Q. Just what he meant to someone like you that's a native of Georgia, and would you like to see some kind of a salute to him tomorrow night at the game?
COACH SMART: Yeah, that's probably not a question for me to answer, as far as a salute to him.
But I certainly salute his life plan, his lifestyle, the way he lived his life. He embodies the Georgia culture in terms of being from a state, agricultural state. He's from a part of the state where I'm from, the southwest corner of the state. And there's so many things that he did for our state beyond people's even recognition.
Just the fact that he was President of the United States and was a fellow Georgian is a pretty special feat. And I didn't ever get to meet him personally. I have a lot of acquaintances, obviously, that know him. And tremendous amount of respect for what he did and what he meant to our state.
Q. James Franklin yesterday talked about the need for a commissioner of football, with everything that's going on. Suggested Nick [Saban] would be good for it. I don't think he's coming out of retirement.
Anyway, what do you feel like -- I saw you the other day when they asked you about everything going on in December, how much trouble -- the distractions with the NIL and transfer portal while you're trying to get ready.
Does college football need a different structure, a commissioner, and maybe something outside of what you have now with conferences calling their own calls?
COACH SMART: That's a really hard question and a really long question.
I don't know that it's as simple as saying, Let's name a commissioner and it solves all our problems. I don't think that's the case. I think we're governed by separate circumstances. Conferences govern us. NCAA governs us. Now we have courts governing us. And nobody is over all of those.
I think a commissioner would be a nice thing in theory, but what can they effectively get done if everybody can't agree on something?
And Nick would be great. I know he's a huge advocate for college football. He wants to make it better. He's always been a person that believed in leave it better than you found it, and I have a lot of respect for the way he does it.
But I'm probably not the guy that can tell you what a commissioner can and can't do in terms of making it a better process for all of us.
Q. Kirby, just very open-ended question, but what makes Gunner Stockton a good quarterback?
COACH SMART: Well, I think the number one thing a quarterback has to have is decision-making skill. Number one, he makes really good decisions.
Number two thing for a quarterback is accuracy. Not necessarily arm talent, but accuracy. He has accuracy. So decision-making is a skill. Accuracy is a huge skill.
Athletic ability and talent probably takes over third. He has those traits.
All the intangibles in terms of toughness, character, embody what he was raised on. His dad was a really good football player, played at Georgia Southern. He's been raised around football. He's a coach's son.
All the players play harder for him. Do you make the players around you better is what you look for in a quarterback. I think he raises the skill level of everybody around him because of who he is.
So that's my reason for believing he's a good quarterback.
Q. Kirby, a lot is going to be talked about Gunner [Stockton] leading up to this game. But what have you seen from your backups, Ryan [Puglisi] and Jaden Rashada in the game? Have you recognized one of the two as the number two quarterback?
COACH SMART: They've done a great job. Number one, it makes you realize how close you are to having to go in the game when it's the next thing. When you're sitting there with a guy between you and the guy, it's different than when you're the guy and you've got to be the next guy. And their reps have gone up.
So, in a weird way, it's been a blessing because I've seen both those kids really accelerate. You'd like to have seen that acceleration without this happening. But they've gotten more reps, they've gotten more important reps.
And they're taking all of Gunner's reps, because Gunner's taking all of Carson's [Beck] reps. I've been very pleased with both those guys. And I think they've embraced the role and understand it's just a lot more urgent now, and I'm proud of what both of them are doing.
Q. I was wondering if you could talk about Bryce Young, No. 30 on Notre Dame's defense, and how you prepare for such a young player with a unique skill set who can be kind of a game changer on special teams.
COACH SMART: Yeah, he is an exceptional player. I wasn't aware of him until we watched a little bit of tape on both Indiana and Notre Dame before we knew who we were going to play. And I was like, Who is this guy, 30? He is long. He is athletic. He twitchy.
And then while watching the game, he showed up more. It was like, he made some flash plays. He's rusher, he's edge. And then when I dug deeper into special teams, I'm like, This guy is phenomenal on special teams, his reach, his athleticism.
I mean, I don't know about what he lists, but he looks bigger than he lists on paper. And he's just going to be a phenomenal talent. To do what he's done this early in his career just shows you how talented he's going to be.
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