When Kirby Smart opened up about sacrificing time with his family to become a dominant leader in college football
Greatness often comes at a cost, especially in the world of college football. For Georgia coach Kirby Smart, the cost has been spending time with his family.
Over the last few years, Smart has helped Georgia win back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and his team has been a regular feature in the College Football Playoffs. However, all this success might not have come by had he not chosen to sacrifice several important things.
During an interview with ESPN College Football in Aug. 2023, Kirby Smart revealed the biggest sacrifice he made to become one of the best coaches in college football this decade.
"Well, I would say time with my family," Smart said (14:14 onwards). "You know, I mean, realistically, it's probably—you have to go with quality over quantity. And I like being with my family, I like being with my kids. You get a break, Reese—you get a chance to go and reset: a week into spring break, maybe a week in the summer.
"But it's not like… you know, maybe I wish it could be where I got more time with them and got to enjoy it. You have to go with quality over quantity, and you probably have to make sacrifices."
Kirby Smart's schedule, like other high-profile coaches, is packed around the year. While during the season, he's focused on in-game strategies, in the offseason, he sources talent from high schools across the country.
Kirby Smart reveals the relationship a leader should share with staff
During the same segment, Kirby Smart also spoke about how, as a leader, one must prioritize the team's interests. Smart believes that if one of his coaches on his staff is not performing their duty, regardless of the relationship he shares, he would like to confront them about their mistakes.
"To be the leader, I think friendships—maybe sometimes with coaches—you know, you’ve got guys on your staff," Smart added. "You're going to be the leader of an organization and a staff, and you can still be friends with them.
"But you have to understand that you have to confront and demand if things aren’t getting done right. And that’s the transition I had to make pretty quickly when I got here from Alabama.”
This transition was something Smart had to quickly establish after he moved to Athens in 2016 following his coaching stint with the Alabama Crimson Tide under former coach Nick Saban.
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