Mike White dismisses 'football school' debate, credits Kirby Smart for helping

Georgia Bulldogs head basketball coach Mike White dismissed the idea a school can be a ‘football school’ during SEC Media Days, explaining that the relationship between different sports has mutual benefits.

The idea of a school pulling resources from one sport to support another isn’t unique in the SEC or college athletics as a whole. However, as White shared, at Georgia that isn’t the case, and head football coach Kirby Smart even supports the basketball program.

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“I think you hear that less and less in our league,” Mike White said. “And it really doesn’t matter. I’m the biggest Georgia football fan there is. My kids are rocking Georgia football gear. My little ones at the house, they’re Kirby Smart fans and probably can real off all the starters on offense and defense. Why would you not? Georgia football is absolutely rolling, as are many football programs in this league.”

At a school where either basketball or football tends to be notably more successful than the other, there can sometimes be tension between the two programs. This was clearly visible in recent seasons at Kentucky, another SEC school but one with a reputation for its men’s basketball program. Then-head coach John Calipari and current head coach Mark Stoops publicly butted heads over how the school treated their two programs.

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Mike White came to Georgia in 2022 after coaching in the SEC at Florida for seven seasons. While he didn’t compare the experience as the basketball coach at the two schools, he did make sure to praise how Kirby Smart handles other sports at Georgia.

“It’s all one big happy family,” White said. “I can tell you, Coach Smart, uniquely, as a Georgia grad, does whatever he can to assist with resources, with recruiting, speaking engagements. You’ll never hear him talk about Georgia football without talking about another sport. I’m very thankful to him for that.”

Given the success that Georgia has had in football, including two national championships, it’s easy to understand why the focus lands on the football program. However, clearly, there is a belief within Georgia that the success of one program should help all programs within the school.

Since getting to Georgia, Mike White has a record of 36-33 in two seasons with a record of 12-24 in SEC play. He led the Bulldogs to the NIT semifinals last season and is looking to take a step forward as a program in the 2024-25 season.