A Standard of Success
By Johnathan McGinty | Photos Courtesy of UGA Athletics
There was no victory parade. No confetti falling from the sky.
A trophy was raised, but not the one everyone in that locker room had envisioned hoisting at the beginning of the 2023 college football season.
Yet, despite what could have felt like a year of broken dreams and unfulfilled goals, it’s possible to look back at Georgia’s victory in the Orange Bowl that year as potentially one of the most satisfying, affirming victories of the Kirby Smart era. And, with countless first round NFL draft picks, three SEC titles and two national championships under his belt, that’s really saying something.
The Bulldogs had just defeated Florida State 63-3 and then had done so in the methodical and punishing fashion that has cemented them as one of the elite programs in the country. But it was who the team did it with that really reinforces the impact Smart has had.
That season both Georgia and Florida State had been passed over, somewhat controversially, for the then-four team College Football Playoff. As such, it just felt like there wasn’t a whole lot to play for, and that was evident on the Seminoles’ sideline. Most of its starters had decided to opt-out of playing in the bowl game, choosing instead to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft or transfer to another school.
On the contrary, the Bulldogs didn’t have anyone opt out of the game, despite the fact they were overflowing with NFL prospects who would be risking injury — and, in turn, potentially millions of dollars — by taking the field. Judging by the 60-point margin of victory, it showed.
It’s a testament to the culture of success Smart has built in Athens.
“We sell relationships over transactions,” says Smart. “We think the relationship still wins out because the relationship allows you to push people and demand excellence, and we're going to continue to do that at Georgia. We don't believe in just being transactional because when you're transactional, you cannot accomplish whatever your ultimate goal is, whatever your greatest reach is. Whatever the ceiling is for every player and every team we have, you don't reach that without relationships.”
Testing the culture
It’s a culture that is being tested and stressed in new ways given the constant evolution of college football. The transactional nature of things that Smart alluded to is a reflection of the pressures confronting programs across the country. From the transfer portal to seven-figure NIL contracts to the new revenue-sharing opportunities coming this fall, the game looks wholly different than it did just three to four years ago.
Players have greater latitude to command big money and greater mobility to secure immediate playing time. These factors, if not managed properly, can erode trust and dampen morale, to say nothing about the direct impact it has on the ability to effectively manage a deep roster to endure the rigors of a full football season.
For some observers of the game, there were signs of that erosion in last year’s Georgia’s squad. The Bulldogs captured the SEC Championship by beating Texas, defeated rivals like Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia Tech, and reached the College Football Playoff, but many felt that things were just “off” in some form or fashion.
“Maybe some of that is NIL and the portal, and maybe some of it is the natural result of winning championships, removing urgency from the equation,” says Seth Emerson, a reporter with The Athletic who has covered Georgia athletics for more than a decade. “But I think some of it is just the personalities in the locker room. Carson Beck was a bit detached and when your quarterback isn't a focal point of the team, that hurts. Gunner Stockton may change that.”
To that point, the Bulldogs are taking steps to ensure the preservation of their unique culture.
Drew Brannon, one of the founders of AMPLOS, a performance psychology group that partners with several of the top programs in the country, has worked extensively with Smart and Georgia the past five years. Through collaboration with Smart and the staff, Brannon helped craft what he refers to as the team’s DNA traits — connection, composure, toughness and resilience.
This offseason, they added a fifth trait – fire.
“We've framed it as people who operate with fire have passion, energy and purpose in what they do,” says Brannon. “We’re so focused on living with passion, energy and purpose, and that gives you so much to be excited about today, focused on today and working on today, so we're just trying to do that with consistency. You increasingly tip the scales in an advantageous way for your organization or your program when you bring in more people who operate with fire.”
It’s no coincidence that Smart has repeatedly spoken about the importance of passion and energy with this team, one of the younger ones he’s fielded since taking over the program a decade ago.
“Well, we want people that have (fire),” Smart says. “We're going to seek it. We're going to try to go find it. If we can just do that one percent better than everybody else, it gives us an opportunity to be ahead.”
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You can read the rest of this article in the Fall 2025 issue of Athens Magazine.