Kirby Smart addresses how Georgia will define success in 2023

After leading Georgia to back-to-back national championship wins, you’d think it’s safe to say that hoisting yet another national championship trophy to end the 2023 season is the standard for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.

But Smart recently said that’s not the case. In an interview with Rece Davis and Pete Thamel, Smart was asked how he’ll define success with this year’s team, with Davis mentioning that the Bulldogs have now reached the level where it seems to be national championship or bust.

“Well you say that, not me. I don’t think it’s national championship or bust, I don’t think any coach could ever say that that’s truly what it is. That’s not believable to me, it’s not probably sustainable,” Smart said.

Smart and the Bulldogs have surely made it look sustainable the last two seasons, displaying dominance in the tough SEC conference and in the postseason in the College Football Playoff. And while their winning ways may have become the standard for outsiders looking in, Smart’s definition of success has more to do with his team reaching it’s maximum potential.

“But what measures success is the same thing it did the last seven years, did we do the best possible job we could with this team? Did we get the most out of this team that we possibly could?” Smart asked.

There’s no doubt that Smart has gotten the most out of his players the last two seasons, not only leading Georgia to back-to-back national title wins, but also helping a whopping 25 players be selected in the last two NFL Drafts.

He’s seemingly mastered recruiting, boasting a top-three recruiting class in the nation every offseason since 2017. Then he’s taken that talent and developed it at a high level, resulting in consistently having one of the best rosters in the country.

But the culmination of talented personnel and an effective scheme on both sides of the ball isn’t enough, as Smart detailed the biggest key to success is for the Bulldogs.

“That comes from the team buying into that, that comes from everybody in the organization buying into that, but you can’t quantify that in a number of wins and losses. I don’t think you can do that, you gotta say did I get the most out of this group,” Smart concluded.

The buy has been apparent in Athens, and the success can be quantified, as Georgia has posted a 29-1 record in the last two seasons. And while it may not be national championship or bust in Smart’s eyes, there’s no question that many expect the Bulldogs to continue their rein of regular season and postseason dominance in 2023.