Georgia Football's Kirby Smart in 2020: The Plan is That There is a Plan for That

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ATHENS - By the time the game was over, Kirby Smart have to have known there would be questions about the Georgia Bulldogs’ quarterbacks. 

Freshman Justin Fields had flashed scoring two rushing touchdowns. He averaged nine yards a carry for the game as Georgia “hung on” to beat Tennessee by 26. He started to look like the future would be in Athens. 

The question was how long away was that future. What was the plan?

“The plan is - there is no plan,” Kirby said after the game. 

That’s not Kirby Smart. 

This is a guy who, according to folks who have worked for him, his public comments and what insiders have shared with me through the years, is fully consumed with his program. Kirby always has a plan. 

But it sure looked like that moment hit him in a way he didn’t expect, and he gave probably his most curious post-game sound bite we’ve had during his five-year run in Athens so far. Two weeks later, after a lopsided loss at LSU, the pressure mounted for Fields to matter more in the Bulldogs’ fate. 

That didn’t happen, and Jake Fromm performed in Jacksonville with all of the pressure on. Fields played sparingly the rest of the year. Maybe he should have played more. Maybe he should have prepared better to be in better position to perform. Maybe if Fromm wasn’t around Georgia would have surged with Fields.

Maybe. Maybe not. That’s hard to know for sure. 

What seems more sure now when compared to back then is that Kirby seems to have a plan, and apparently a few backup plans. I get the feeling that he’s wanting to say this to us when he gets annoyed with questions about his quarterback situation:

“The plan is there is a plan. And if that plan transfers there is another plan. And if that plan isn’t ready there is another plan. And there happens to be a plan after that as well. The plan is: we have a lot of plans.”

I don’t know who is going to start against Arkansas. I’m not even sure if the starter will be the starter the next week in Athens against Auburn or a few weeks after that in Tuscaloosa. 

With that said - it is clear D’Wan Mathis has momentum. It’s also pretty clear that he’s what those of us with a little recruiting background call “raw”. JT Daniels, who was USC’s starter a year ago, has experience none of the rest of the quarterbacks have. Kirby, in a matter-of-fact way, answered on Tuesday that its likely more than one QB will play against the Hogs. 

The question is how long that will happen for Georgia. 

I’m sure there is a plan.