Tuscaloosa News’ Tommy Deas reported Sunday morning that new Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp is “expected to target Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as the top candidate for the defensive coordinator position on his staff with the Gators.” Smart, like Muschamp, is a former Georgia Bulldogs player and a member of Nick Saban’s coaching tree.
Georgia offered former Frank Broyles Award-winner Smart its defensive coordinator position last offseason, prompting the Tide to give him a raise and Saban to insist Smart should wait until a head coaching job opens up before leaving Alabama.
Muschamp and Smart have coached together for Valdosta State, LSU, and the Miami Dolphins. Smart has also briefly coached at Georgia when not following Muschamp and Saban around the country.
If Smart comes aboard, which would require yet another raise as it's even more parallel of a move than the Georgia switch would've been, that’ll be two former Georgia defensive backs at the tippity-top of the coaching staff of the team that’s arguably UGA’s primary rival. For hilarious storylines alone, sort of hoping the Gators aren’t going after Major Applewhite as rumored and instead are trying to get Mark Richt aboard as offensive coordinator.
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