Former Georgia LB Nolan Smith Divulges That Lack Of Hitting Makes Kirby Smart Most Angry During Practice

Kirby Smart is cut from the Nick Saban coaching tree and the apple does not fall far from that tree. The 47-year-old Georgia coach has won back-to-back national championships, two SEC titles and has been named SEC Coach of the Year three times.

To get to this point, Smart has built a program that is focused on winning. And to get to that point of consistent success requires a "dawg" mentality. That means working hard in practice, going all-out in every drill, and giving every ounce of yourself in every single moment.

It doesn't matter if it's a Tuesday in June or a Saturday in November, Kirby Smart expects 100% effort.

Nolan Smith, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spent four years in Athens on the Bulldogs defense. The former five-star recruit was an integral part of Georgia's recent run.

He knows what it's like to go to work under Kirby Smart.

During a recent conversation with Chris Long on the Green Light Podcast, Smith revealed the one thing that will really set his former head coach off, what really makes him angry. Smart, like his former mentor, is not going to hold back.

At first, Smith said that Smart doesn't like when his players don't jog to the ball, but he quickly backtracked.

Forget the rest of everything— if you don't thud.
If you don't touch somebody during a defensive play, he's going to take you out. 100%.

Smart, being a former defensive-minded coach and former defensive coordinator under Saban, puts extra emphasis on his defense. Georgia has had one of the best defenses in the country since he first arrived and that largely stems from his focus on that side of that ball.

If you have a white shirt on that Georgia and you don’t touch anyone, from like a DB, anybody, he’s gonna take you out of the game or take you out of practice really.

With that said, no matter what position, Smart expects his players to smack the pads.

He wants somebody to hit people every time, every play, every time the ball is snapped.

Whatever Smart is doing is working. He might lose his mind if his players don't hit, but to this point, the results speak to themselves!

The full interview can be found here: