Kirby Smart explains the impact of complacency, why Georgia is still the hunter

Kirby Smart will not let his Georgia squad sit back and be the team with a target on their back throughout the 2022 season.

While the Bulldogs ended a title drought that spanned generations last season, Smart told the media at SEC Media Days that his program will not allow you to call them complacent when the season kicks off.

“I’ve done the rounds this morning, I’ll bet you at least 50 people have asked me the question, so feel free when we open up for questions to ask me the concern there is for complacency. That does not concern me in the least,” stated Smart. “To be complacent, you have to have done something and achieved something. The men on this team, for this season, have not done that. They have not.

“15 players that have now gone to the NFL, camps or draft picks. They’re gone. And we have some returning players, but they’re hungry as ever.

Whether the Georgia football coach likes it or not, the Bulldogs will be the team everyone wants to beat next season. It’s lonely at the top, and all of your opponents are praying on your downfall.

Still, Smart doesn’t believe his program should be labeled as the hunted — he still believes the Bulldogs are the apex predator of the college football world.

“People have asked the question, ‘How does it feel to be hunted?’ We are not hunted at the University of Georgia, I can tell you that. The hunting that we do will be coming from us going the other direction. It’s not something we’re going to sit back and be passive about,” explained Smart. “Our guys have asked questions, and we’ve done a lot of studies on how the mighty have fallen.

“We have 15 minute meetings, 20 minute meetings in breakout groups and we’ve actually talked about how the mighty have fallen. I’m talking about business. I’m talking about jobs, I’m talking about in sports, I’m talking about in history. You learn from the mistakes of others.”

As you can see, Kirby Smart and Georgia will not sit idly by as opponents far and wide make their plans to bring the Bulldogs down. While his program sits atop the college football world at the moment, Smart is continuing to do everything he can to ensure his team stays there.