Smart determined to put his own unique stamp on Bulldog program

When Kirby Smart took over the Bulldog program last December, it was assumed by most that his goal would be to turn Georgia into “Alabama East.”

After all, considering the success he enjoyed working for Nick Saban, why not, right?

When it comes to understanding the difference between running a team and having a program, you bet.

“Well, the biggest thing for me is recognizing the difference, and I got great value from the nine years I spent at the University of Alabama and the 11 years I worked for Coach Saban, learning the difference between a team and a program. That's where I want to put my stamp on the University of Georgia, is the difference between a team and a program,” Smart said. “A team is a group of young men playing together. The program is the entirety of that, what goes into that, how do we support these student-athletes off the field, what things can we give them from a nutrition standpoint, strength and development, their wellness, psychological development, everything we can do for the team and for the entire program is the stamp that I'd like to put on it.”

Which will be …?

“The trademark for us is going to be a big, physical, fast football team,” Smart said. “We're not there yet, but we're certainly moving in that direction. That's the stamp I would like to put on it.”

Make no mistake, this is Kirby Smart’s team.

While the former Bulldog will be forever grateful for the lessons he learned from Saban, there aren’t as many similarities between he and the head coach of the Crimson Tide as you’d probably think.

“I think you never leave what you learn. What you have success with, you feel comfortable with, you always rely on that a little bit. I certainly got to be who I am. Our personalities are the not the same, Coach Saban and I. And I have the utmost respect for what he's done and what he's done for me and my family,” Smart said. “Certainly there's a great deal learned over the last 11 years. Ways to handle certain situations, ways to handle players, ways to improve your team. That will always stay with me. There's certainly differences as well, and those are important to me.”

The same holds true in regards to former head coach Mark Richt.

When Richt was let go, it obviously left some hurt feelings among the players, players Smart had to ultimately win over to earn their trust.

While there may have been some initial challenges, Smart believes the entire team has now bought into what he and his staff of assistants are trying to do.

“First I would like to say Coach Richt is a good friend of mine. I respect Coach Richt and worked for him for a year and respect the man he is and respect what it stands for. I don't think it's a competition between Coach Richt and I to win over this team. I think you earn that by the way you behave and the way you perform. Every kid I've been around as a football player, they want their coaches to make them better as men and as players,” Smart said. “If they see value in you as a coach that you can create value in them as a player and a person, they respect that. And it's not a competition between he and I or me to win the team over. That's never what it has been about. I've got a lot of respect for Coach Richt. He's reached out to me and we've had communication. I think he's going to do a great job at University of Miami. Our team has moved forward. Our team is focused on this season and not looking in the rearview mirror.”