Georgia Nation’s Mounting Frustration With Kirby Smart as National Analyst’s Alarming Mike Bobo Take Turns Heads

Kirby Smart built a monster in Georgia, but even the mightiest programs aren’t immune to whispers of decline. After a run that saw the Bulldogs stack another SEC championship and a CFP berth last season, they are projected to backslide in 2025. There’s an uneasy feeling in Athens. The numbers tell part of the story. To that, add ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s goad: “This was Kirby Smart’s least scary Georgia team in quite a while, and now it will be replacing starting quarterback Carson Beck, three of his top four targets, four of the top six offensive linemen, and 12 of 18 defenders with 200-plus snaps.” That’s a gut punch of a transition, even for a coach who’s made reloading the roster feel routine. But there’s more to this than just personnel turnover — there’s a shift in perception.

Georgia’s standard is – championship or bust! That’s what Smart built, and that’s the expectation he now has to meet every single season. The bigger fish to fry? The new thrower Gunner Stockton will have to emerge in one of the most demanding offensive environments, and the Bulldogs’ path to another title will go through an SEC that isn’t getting any easier. It’s a long way from a crisis, but there’s a tension in the air, an impatience simmering just beneath the surface. When Georgia fans stormed the court after the basketball team’s upset win over Florida, Kirby Smart was right in the middle of the chaos at Stegeman Coliseum.

Maybe it was just a coach celebrating his school’s success, or maybe it was a rare glimpse of Smart cutting loose in a way he doesn’t always allow himself. Either way, Georgia fans aren’t focused on basketball — they want to know if their football dynasty is starting to show cracks. That question was creeping into the conversation more than ever, and national analysts were starting to take notice. On3’s Andy and Ari put it plainly: “I have sensed something with Kirby, and I’ve sensed something from Georgia fans… Obviously, he is a made man, he is the number one coach in my list of top 25 coaches in the sport. I’m not begging him, okay?… I do feel like Georgia fans are starting to become frustrated with him for the first time in a long time.”

Well, it’s not about Smart’s overall resume — he’s still the most dominant coach in the sport outside of Nick Saban’s shadow. But when you build something as big as Georgia has, even the slightest dip can feel like free fall.

Some of the frustration, fair or not, is tied to Smart’s coaching hires. Loyalty can be a strength, but it can also raise eyebrows when results don’t meet expectations. Andy pointed to the dangers of hiring close friends, recalling how Urban Meyer’s final years at Ohio State were marred by prioritizing relationships over performance. “It’s also the problem of hiring your friends, right? Like, if you hire your friend when things aren’t ideal, people are going to accuse you of being a loyalist… I think you could make the case that Urban Meyer lost his fastball at the end of his Ohio State tenure because he was loyal to coaches that were in his wedding party.” Andy was quick to clarify that he wasn’t directly comparing that situation to Mike Bobo, but the implication was clear. Bobo, Georgia’s offensive coordinator and a longtime Smart confidant, is under the microscope.

For now, Smart has time. Ari acknowledged the pressure but emphasized that Georgia’s recruiting machine keeps the program in position to compete at the highest level. “Before things get contentious, I think he’s got a while, and I also think because of the way he recruits that there are going to be some more really good years where they are either in the national title game or they win the national title and then it doesn’t matter.” That’s the trump card Smart has always had — when you stack five-star talent year after year, the margin for error grows.

But even Ari admitted that the Dawgs need to fill the void left by Chip Kelly and be better offensively to maintain its edge. “They’re gonna have to be better on offense if they’re going to make the national title game, if they’re going to win national titles… Bobo’s gonna have to prove that.” Smart isn’t in trouble—yet. But the winds are shifting.

Kirby Smart’s seat? Ice cold… for now!

Even though Andy and Ari’s sixth sense said that the Dawgs’ fans are a bit “frustrated” with Kirby Smart,  The Athletic said he’s good. He isn’t on the hot seat — not even close. That being said, let’s keep it real: he’s still the safest coach in the SEC. The major media outlet recently ranked Smart’s seat as the “least hot” in the conference, which makes sense considering he’s built Georgia into a powerhouse, winning two national titles and keeping the Dawgs in the hunt year after year.

Of course, this is the SEC, where expectations are sky-high and patience runs thin. In a league where winning 10 games isn’t enough and fan bases demand national championships or bust, even the best coaches aren’t completely untouchable.

For now, Smart’s job is rock solid — but if Georgia slips further from the mountaintop, those whispers of frustration could grow louder.