ATHENS, Ga. — After Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said Georgia “acquired some pretty good players,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said it was “much ado about nothing” and that Stoops was just doing what all coaches do try: their collectives collect money for this. Here’s what you need to know:
- Georgia beat Kentucky 51-13 on Saturday night, the 14th straight year Georgia has beaten Kentucky.
- Georgia has had a top four recruiting class every year since 2017.
- Kentucky has never ranked higher than 17 during that time and is usually in the 20s or 30s.
Comments from Stoops
During Stoops’ radio show Monday night, a caller said, “Georgia woke up and remembered it was Georgia.” Stoops first responded that his team made too many mistakes, like penalties, and then moved on to the question of talent .
“The other side if you want to do that is to complain, deny or make excuses and we won’t do that. It is what it is. Fans have that right, I give it to them,” Stoops said, adding, “I just encourage them to donate more because that’s what these guys do.” I can promise you, Georgia, they have some pretty good ones Player bought. That’s allowed these days. We could use some help.”
Georgia nose tackle Zion Logue said he was amused by the story.
“It is the age of NIL. “Everyone buys players,” Logue said. “It’s about who can execute on Saturdays. You can buy whoever you want. It’s how you execute it that matters.”
Stoops may have been annoyed by a previous caller who cited a statistic that Stoops had only beaten two SEC teams that ended up with winning conference records. (A story in the Lexington Herald-Leader confirms the statistic is true, but lacks some context.)
Stoops’ comments did not appear to be directed at Georgia, but rather were a call for Kentucky donors to get involved in this new era of NIL rights.
Smart’s non-response
When asked about Stoops’ comments after practice on Tuesday, Smart shrugged.
“No reaction. Actually, much ado about nothing,” Smart said. “I think Mark is trying to get interest and money from his fan base for his collective. And we’re all trying to do the same thing and raise money for our collectives. Mark and I talked about NIL before the game. We talked about it in our meetings. I’m not holding on to that.”
That wasn’t surprising since Smart and Stoops have a good relationship and Stoops stayed after Saturday’s game to talk with Smart and Georgia assistants Will Muschamp and Mike Bobo.
Smart typically refuses to engage in Steve Spurrier-style verbal altercations with his fellow coaches. In his first year, after Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh attacked Smart on Twitter over the field camp issue, Smart wryly replied, “What tweet?” That’s pretty much been Smart’s MO ever since.
(Photo by Kirby Smart: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)