ATHENS, Ga. -- The University of Georgia has officially named Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as its new head football coach.
ATHENS, Ga. -- The University of Georgia has officially named Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as its new head football coach.
The decision was approved Sunday by the Executive Committee of the UGA Athletic Board of Directors, according to a news release.
Smart will be introduced at a press conference Monday in Athens.
"It was critical to identify a person who would focus on a specific, defined process of developing championship football teams on and off the playing field," UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity said in a news release. "Someone who understands the true meaning of a student-athlete by actually experiencing it himself --- someone who competed at the highest levels on the playing field, was mentored by some of the very best in the game, and understood the specific ingredients necessary to excel at the highest levels of college athletics --- Kirby Smart fits that profile. I believe Kirby Smart is the perfect fit for the University of Georgia."
Under the agreed upon memorandum of understanding, Smart will be paid $3.75 million per season, with performance bonuses that could earn him up to another $1.6 million per season.
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The decision was widely expected after the school announced it was parting ways with Mark Richt after 15 season last week. Richt has since become the new coach at Miami.
It's a return home for Smart, who is from Bainbridge, Ga., and graduated from UGA in 1999. Since 2007, he's been at Alabama with Nick Saban. While there, Smart has been a part of three national championship teams. The Crimson Tide defeated Florida Saturday in Atlanta to claim the 2015 SEC Championship.
In a written statement, Saban congratulated Smart on the new position saying, "We are really excited for Kirby and his family. He's worked really hard and has done a great job for the University of Alabama, and he's done a great job working for us for a really long time. He's really, really appreciated for his hard work and the contribution he's made to all of the success that we've had here. Not only in the good coaching and development of players, but the kind of person he is, the kind of recruiter he is and the kind of team player he is. I couldn't be happier for someone who is very deserving of an opportunity like this one."
The new coach turns 40 on Dec. 23 and was widely regarded as one of the top assistants in the country, with Alabama perennially ranking among the top defensive teams in the country.
"It's an honor and privilege to return home," Smart said in a statement. "I'm deeply appreciative … to lead one of the truly great college football programs in the country."
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When Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity decided to make a change, it was clear that Smart was his top choice all along.
Smart was expected to remain at Alabama through the College Football Playoff, though Saban would surely carve out time for him to handle some of his new duties at Georgia, such as recruiting and putting together a staff.
Saban made it clear that he believes Smart is ready to lead his own program after 17 years as an assistant at various schools, including a one-year stint as Georgia's running backs coach in 2005.
"Because he's bright, he really not only learned the system, but he also understood how to implement it and really understands football very, very well. He understands offensive football very, very well," Saban said. "He's got good relationships with the players. They respond well to him. He's sound in how he goes about the things that we do, and we've worked together a long, long time. He's as good an assistant coach, and as loyal an assistant coach, as I've ever had on my staff."
Bryan McClendon, who was Richt's assistant head coach and also works with the receivers, will serve as Georgia's interim head coach during the bowl game. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, as well as all other assistant coaches, are also sticking with the Bulldogs at least through the bowl, to be announced later Sunday.
The Tide was selected to the four-team playoff field and will meet Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl semifinal on New Year's Eve.
The winner of that game will play in the national championship game on Jan. 11, which means Smart could be more than a month away from taking over full-time as Georgia's coach.
Smart headed straight to Athens after the SEC championship game and was interviewed Sunday morning by university President Jere Morehead, the final step before the athletic association ratified McGarity's choice.
The new coach will be formally introduced at a news conference in Athens on Monday.
"It was critical to identify a person who would focus on a specific, defined process of developing championship football teams on and off the playing field," McGarity said. "Someone who competed at the highest levels on the playing field, was mentored by some of the very best in the game, and understood the specific ingredients necessary to excel at the highest levels of college athletics."
Smart played defensive back at Georgia and finished his career with 13 interceptions, the fourth-most in school history. He led the Bulldogs with six picks in 1997 and five in 1998, graduating with a degree in finance. He added a master's degree from Florida State in 2003.
In his statement, Smart made a special point to mention Saban, who choked up a bit when talking about his coordinator's impending departure before the SEC championship game.
"I have been fortunate to spend 11 seasons with him as my mentor and have learned a tremendous amount from him as a coach and teacher," Smart said.
Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson expects Smart to be full committed to the Tide through the end of its season.
"He's still our defensive coordinator," Anderson said. "This is still his team, and we've still got some unfinished business."
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