Kirby Smart, Billy Napier react to Georgia-Florida move to Atlanta, Tampa

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia and Florida have played over a hundred times, and since 1933, all but two have been in Jacksonville. With stadium construction set to begin before too long in Duval County, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will temporarily have a new location. Reported by Brett McMurphy of Action Network on Wednesday, Atlanta and Tampa will host Georgia-Florida in 2026 and 2027 before a move back to the Stadium of the Future in Jacksonville come 2028.

While there’s guarantees on who’s going to be coaching the two teams when they play in Atlanta and Tampa – especially on the Florida side where the current head coach finds himself on the hot seat – Kirby Smart and Billy Napier have their own thoughts on the reports. Breaking just moments before each went live on the SEC coaches teleconference call, Smart and Napier shared their reactions.

“It’s been talked about and debated for a long time — for a while, since we’ve known the Jacksonville renovation was going to occur. I think the parties involved did a great job of managing it. I think Jacksonville did a great job stepping up and making it worthwhile for both universities,” Smart said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to play at two different locations, so that’ll be unique. Maybe we learn from those two experiences.”

“We’re excited about the opportunity to play both in Atlanta and Tampa,” added Napier. “Both great venues, both will be well-ran operations. I think we all understand the revenue that this game generates for both athletic departments. So, you know, I think it’s going to be unique and certainly we’re excited about that opportunity.”

Both Smart and Napier come from the Nick Saban coaching tree. They understand the importance of recruiting, and because of that, there’s been some conversation from the coaches about potentially bringing the game to a home and home. Financially, what the athletic departments gain from giving up a home game every other year is simply too much to pass on though.

“Kirby and I both agree that it would be awesome to play a home-and-home but we also know that there’s a tremendous amount of revenue created by having this game at a neutral site,” Napier said after Smart sidestepped the question, choosing to talk about the focus he has on the upcoming matchup against the Gators instead of those down the road. “Money makes the world go round and certainly, the amount of revenue, there’s a significant difference in the revenue that’s generated. We play in Jacksonville, there’s a historical context to that but there’s also a revenue component as well. I think the neutral site will present the same revenue opportunities and ultimately why the decision was made.”

Currently, Georgia and Florida are both paid $1.5 million – plus the cost of travel – from the city of Jacksonville. The two schools also split the gate with UGA expecting $4.2 million in ticket revenue for this season. In the future though, the reported expected payment from Jacksonville is expected to jump to $5 million or more, putting it on par with other neutral site games. Georgia got $5 million for playing in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Clemson this year in Atlanta while Georgia Tech will receive $10 million to play the 2025 rivalry game against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

An official announcement by Georgia, Florida and the other involved parties including Jacksonville and the two new cities has yet to be released. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan did say on Tuesday though that great progress has been made in several months of meetings and that an announcement could come “very soon,” potentially even before kickoff of the 2024 matchup.

This year’s Georgia-Florida game will still be at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jaguars, in Jacksonville – as will next year’s. Kickoff time for Saturday’s showdown between the Bulldogs and Gators is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.