Kirby Smart raves about the value of having Will Muschamp on staff

The Georgia Bulldogs are once again the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and head coach Kirby Smart is feeling pretty good about his staff’s work. Following the team’s Week 2 win over Samford and ahead of the South Carolina matchup, Smart raved about former Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp as his co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

“There is a lot of value in that knowledge,” Smart said. “He understands the seat I am in. (Muschamp) understands recruiting in this conference. He is a tremendous asset to our defensive staff. He is a tremendous asset to our special teams staff.

“It is like having a second head coach, and that is what I am talking about when I talk about our staff being complete and being one of the best we have assembled, he’s a big reason why.”

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After the Gamecocks and Muschamp parted ways, the former head coach joined Kirby Smart at Georgia. There’s a good chance he stays with the program for a few more years. His son, Jackon, is now a walk-on quarterback for the Bulldogs and he has several more years of eligibility.

Going up against the Gamecocks this weekend, Muschamp’s goal will be to slow down Shane Beamer and Spencer Rattler’s offense. South Carolina lost to Arkansas last weekend but still put up 30 points in the effort.

Smart weighs in on Shane Beamer’s start at SC

The annual early season showdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks is set to take place, with Smart going up against a former assistant. Shane Beamer is running the show in Columbia, getting his team off to a 1-1 start.

During his weekly press conference, Smart took some time to praise the work Beamer has done at South Carolina. He complimented the energy the head coach has bought, mainly through hiring a “great staff.” While they might be division rivals, there seems to be nothing but respect from Smart’s end.

“When I hired Shane, I had known him for a very long time,” Smart said. “He was interested in coming and thought it would be a great opportunity to jump into the SEC, be a part of our program. And he did. He’s created a lot of energy through his program through enthusiasm. They have a great staff at South Carolina and just creating an environment of competition through their program to compete at a high level.”

Smart hired Beamer to his original Georgia staff in 2016, where he served as the tight ends and special teams coordinator. Beamer spent two seasons in Athens before departing for Oklahoma to work with Lincoln Riley. Now, he’s facing off against a former boss this Saturday.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.