Georgia Goes After Smart

UPDATE: According to FootballCoachScoop: "According to our sources, Head Coach Mark Richt
should be announcing Smart as the new Defensive Coordinator at Georgia very soon."

Reliability? Who knows; this same site was recently reporting that Martinez was rumored to be rejoining the staff in a lesser capacity - and I doubt that would ever happen. But, the Smart talk is certainly exciting.
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Georgia has offered Alabama DC Kirby Smart a multi-year deal that would make him the third-highest paid coordinator in all of cfb. If he stays at 'Bama, he'll no doubt receive a raise to put his income on par with that of UGA's offer and he'll be coordinating a great defense for the defending national champs. But, Smart grew up in Georgia and played DB for the Dawgs in the 90's, so maybe that - plus the money - will be enough to lure him home. And, just maybe, bringing a piece of this year's 'Bama formula could rub off on our program a bit...hopefully as soon as recruiting, so we can try and put a dent in the class Saban has put together.
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Saban was apparently alluding to Smart's decision at a press conference Friday. I'm not sure how the topic came up, or in what context, but Saban said:

“I’m always happy and interested for our coaches to be able to advance professionally, especially if it is a professional advancement in terms of a guy being a coordinator who can go be a head coach in a situation where he has a chance to be successful.

“I’m not pleased when guys make lateral moves because it’s a little bit human nature to think, like my dad used to say, the grass is always greener on top of the septic tank. You always think it’s better someplace else. You kind of let your ego get involved, and you make moves that you shouldn’t make and really aren’t in your best interests for a career standpoint. So I’m not happy when guys do that. But anybody on our staff who can move up, we would like to help them do that.”

Well, it's not a lateral move if UGA gets the money right, but I cannot see 'Bama hesitating to match any offer from another team. No, I'd imagine that, like Foster and Chavis, the only real outcome of this offer will be Georgia scratching another name of their list and Smart getting a hefty raise to stay in T-town.