Kirby Smart addresses how to resolve concerns over fan engagement

Kirby Smart made headlines Saturday when he criticized Georgia fans for the atmosphere at Sanford Stadium in a 31-13 win against Auburn on homecoming. The Bulldogs coach then doubled down on his comments during Monday’s press conference.

He continued to touch on the issue Tuesday when one member of the media asked whether he has spoken with athletic director Josh Brooks regarding the issue. Smart responded that he hadn’t talked with Brooks about it since Saturday, but it was clear he was still feeling frustrated about it.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

“I haven’t had a meeting with him,” he said. “I’ve talked to him about it and I voiced my concerns to him as much as I did to anybody, but that’s his job. He’s in charge of all those people and all those optics and that’s the comment I said earlier. We had coaches here last year that said it was the greatest atmosphere they had ever been in. So for somebody to say that from outside, it’s not like it’s all wrong. It’s really relative to what time the game is and who the game is.”

Saturday marked the first home game in nearly a month for Georgia, which played three of its first four games away from Athens. It was a sellout crowd with an announced attendance of 93,033.

Save $30 on your first month of Fubo by CLICKING HERE NOW!

For a limited time, you can get your first month of Fubo for as low as $49.99. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

However, while the stands might have been packed, the noise level wasn’t near where Smart wanted it. Perhaps that had something to do with the opponent and the fact that the game was never really close, but regardless Smart believes Georgia is a program that should always have rowdy fans.

“We should all be held to the standard of playing excellent, playing hard,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who your opponent is. It’s a nameless and faceless deal. We don’t look at the scoreboard. But I haven’t had a meeting with Josh. I haven’t talked about it with Josh since after the game Saturday.”

The Bulldogs have another home game Saturday against Mississippi State, and fans will surely want to come prepared give the Kirby Smart’s recent comments.