"Drinking water from a firehose": When Kirby Smart broke down struggles of onboarding Georgia coaches

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the most successful programs in modern college football history with head coach Kirby Smart leading the perennial national championship contenders.

Ahead of the 2024 college football season, Kirby Smart sat down for an interview with Josh Pate on his "College Football Show" podcast. They spoke about an array of topics, including SEC media days, coaching burnout, coach Nick Saban, the NCAA, the SEC Championship Game, Brock Bowers and much more.

Kirby Smart broke down struggles of onboarding Georgia Bulldogs coaches

Smart spoke about the unique challenges that come with onboarding new coaches with the Georgia Bulldogs.

"It's like drinking water from a firehose for those new coaches, but we have a tremendous support staff here. We have great coordinators to onboard each one, so we haven't had to deal with a lot of turnovers," Smart said.

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Smart added that a significant issue with onboarding in modern college football was the complexities around the modern transfer portal. New coaches need to give players more attention than before, as these players could be out the door as soon as they're in the building. That means that coaching additions must get used to the Georgia Bulldogs' way and culture in record time.

How did Georgia Bulldogs perform in 2024?

The Bulldogs have enjoyed phenomenal success since Kirby Smart became head coach in 2015. The program has won two national and three SEC Championships and become a hotbed for NFL-caliber talent.

The Bulldogs had a decent 2024 college football season. They finished the regular season with an 11-2 record and beat the Texas Longhorns to capture the 2024 SEC Championship. However, their season ended earlier than Smart would have liked, as they were beaten by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals.

The 2024/25 college football season is a success for most football programs. However, Kirby Smart holds his Georgia team to a remarkably high standard. It's typically championship or bust in Athens, and last season was no different.

Hence, the Bulldogs enter 2025 with the aim to win their third national championship in the coach Smart era. Anything less would be considered a disappointment.