Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has decided to stay at Alabama, according to head coach Nick Saban. Smart was offered by UGA on Friday night around 8 p.m. and reportedly spent the weekend mulling the offer and subsequent Crimson Tide counteroffers before finally deciding at some point within the last 24 hours.
Bulldog fans were eagerly awaiting the return of a former player who has made his name in coaching under Saban, but were rebuffed after a weekend of rumor-mongering and plane watching. Fans who frequent the website UGAsports.com message boards even drove to airports in Athens and Dunwoody to welcome the arrival of planes from Tuscaloosa, but Smart was not on any of them.
Smart had reportedly received an offer from UGA that more than doubled his current salary at Alabama of $369,350. Georgia also finally retracted their rule of not offering assistant coaches more than one year on a deal to offer Smart a three-year contract.
Alabama was thought to have matched the offer.
On Saturday, former Dawg David Pollack posted on twitter.com that Smart was the new defensive coordinator. Pollack said today that Smart backed out after verbally agreeing and signing a “term sheet” to become UGA’s new defensive coordinator.
The search will likely resume around Dallas defensive line coach Todd Grantham and former Bills defensive line coach Bob Sanders.
QUOTES
Alabama head coach Nick Saban:
“We’ve very pleased and happy that Kirby is going to be staying here at the University of Alabama with us. He’s done a fabulous job for us. He’s one of the finest assistant coaches in the country. You expect guys like Kirby to get lots of opportunities to do things, and we want to continue to help him continue to develop his career here so that when he leaves here, it’s going to be to be a head coach and probably in a very good situation. So we’re excited about that. We’re happy for him and his family. It’s very pleasing to us.”
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart:
“I think it was pretty well known that there was an opportunity to return to my alma mater as defensive coordinator. I wouldn’t even have considered discussing the position with any other school, but when it is a place I’ve spent some of my best years and had some great memories, I thought it was something I should discuss with my family and figure out what was best.
“After thinking about all the factors over the last couple days, we are going to stay at the University of Alabama. We love it in Tuscaloosa, have made some great friends here and I think we are building something special here at Alabama with Coach Saban. I have learned so much in the time I’ve spent with Coach Saban, and every year I feel like I become a better coach.
“I’ve got a great deal of respect for Coach Richt and the job he has done there and the University of Georgia will also have a special place in my heart. Not only did I play there, but my wife played basketball there and we have a lot of friends at UGA.
“At the end of the day, I just feel like this is where I am supposed to be and this is a special time to be at the University of Alabama.”
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