Paul Finebaum believes Kirby Smart painting Georgia as hungry is 'really very smart'

As programs buckle up for the long summer ahead of the 2024 season, mantras are being crafted and themes are being harped upon. Coaches will beat them into their players’ brains relentlessly in the coming months. So for Georgia, the question becomes what is the message?

The Bulldogs have been a national championship contender regularly under Kirby Smart, though they came up a little short in their quest to three-peat last season.

At a recent charity golf tournament, the Regions Tradition, ESPN host Paul Finebaum caught up with a number of coaches, including Smart. He was able to glean what the message is in the Georgia facilities.

“I thought Kirby was particularly interesting in relation to ‘last year’s done and we’re hungry,'” Finebaum said. “I just thought here’s a guy who’s maybe two plays away from a third straight national championship, history and everything that we spent a year talking about, and he’s able to portray his team as hungry, which is really very smart. It’s well thought out.”

Coaches often fare well when they can’t paint their team as up against the world or as underdogs. Few on the outside, of course, would consider Georgia an underdog.

With starting quarterback Carson Beck returning and a host of new playmakers for him to throw to, many acquired via the NCAA transfer portal, Georgia will enter the season with a lot of knowns. The offense should once again be very good.

Elsewhere, Smart has recruited a ridiculous amount of talent.

The reality is that Georgia’s program is firing on all cylinders, including the NIL front. The transfer of former Florida running back Trevor Etienne is one small example of the success in that arena.

That was another thing Finebaum came away from the Regions Tradition raving about.

“His view of NIL, he’s not a complainer, he’s an embracer,” Finebaum said. “He also talks about how little they have to do in the portal, that they’re building programs there. It’s almost as if and probably is as if they just simply went in there and grabbed that sign out of the Alabama building, ‘Built by ‘Bama,’ and now it’s ‘Built by Georgia.'”

High, but well-deserved praise for the Georgia program.