Kirby Smart reacts to Jake Pope celebrating with Ole Miss fans: 'What an idiot, just stupid'

After Ole Miss upset Georgia 28-10 on Saturday, Bulldogs defensive back Jake Pope could be seen jumping up and down while smiling with Ole Miss fans, who had stormed the field. The fans were wearing merchandise of Rebels offensive lineman Reece McIntyre, who was Pope’s teammate in high school.

On Monday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed the video of Pope circulating online.

“What an idiot. Just stupid,” Smart said. “I didn’t see it until today. He’s embarrassed about it. That’s a childhood friend of his. Just not real smart. But to be honest with you, I don’t really have time to waste on that. My focus is on Tennessee.”

Pope and McIntyre played together at Buford High School, where they won state championships as sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as three regional titles. It’s unclear whether the fans knew Pope personally or were simply fans of McIntyre.

Pope transferred to Georgia this offseason after spending two seasons at Alabama. Pope has only played in three games for the Bulldogs this season and hasn’t recorded a statistic.

In the 2023 campaign at Alabama, Pope played in 12 games, primarily serving on the special teams units. Pope was a four-star prospect in high school and the No. 315 overall player in the 2022 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

In short, Pope’s time at Georgia has been less than ideal after fans were excited for him to join the program this offseason. Pope hasn’t publicly addressed his postgame interaction with Ole Miss fans as of this report.

Jake Pope isn’t the only Georgia player who’s received backlash for his reaction to Georgia’s loss on Saturday. In the closing minutes of the game, Bulldogs QB Carson Beck was spotted smiling on the sidelines next to backup QB Jaden Rashada.

Beck’s mother, Tracy, defended her son from angry fans on social media.

“I had one of my best friends send me this towards the end of the game yesterday asking me who #10 was because he is an amazing friend and teammate!” Tracy wrote. “I watched this video and immediately smiled… I said this is one of Carson’s true besties whom he loves like a brother and in a time when I am sure Carson was feeling this big loss, Jaden could make him smile and laugh.”

Georgia won’t have long to get its mind right. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will square off against No. 7 Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.