Here’s an “if’s and but’s” thought for today:
Personally, I don’t know. Yes, Kirby would’ve been a better DC than Grantham. There are many high school DCs in the state who would’ve been better than Grantham, but that’s beside the point.
While Kirby coming in and leading the defense is romantic, I can’t help but think that Kirby would’ve been as frustrated as Richt at the lack of investment in recruiting, facilities, and the program coming from Alabama to Georgia. While there may have been better defensive success, I could easily see Kirby getting frustrated and heading back to Alabama, or, worse, heading for a coaching vacancy and turning that program into what Georgia is today.
Could Kirby have ended up at Auburn after Chizik’s firing in 2012? Would he have been lifted as head coach when Richt stepped down? Would Richt have stepped down? Would Kirby even get along with Richt’s even temperment compared to Saban?
Who knows.
Kirby’s bigger influence would have been roster management and recruiting nfl linemen vs nba linemen. In 2012 Richt’s 69 scholarship players played Alabama and lost because they ran out of gas in the 4th qtr (the DL specifically).
Bobo sucked then and only sucks less now.
Well, he averaged 39ppg that season so if thats sucking I will take it. We were thin and didn’t have the Kirby defense; we had 3rd and Grantham. Gave up about 200 yards to Eddie Lacy in the 2nd half alone it seemed. Stats show Bama had 350 rushing.
I have no idea what would have happened. What I do know is that Il Duce and a combination of Red Panties and McEars were still in charge, which meant Adams was in charge. Kirby wouldn’t have had the leverage to get the facility upgrades or the looser roster management as a DC.
I don’t know those personalities mesh and do believe we win the MNC once but then Kirby is not here now. But Bama would have been worse and Kirby would have punched Corch in the face so who knows?
The frustrations in the last half of Richt’s tenure had at least as much to do with institutional shortcomings as coaching. I don’t think Kirby could have changed the former as DC, nor do I think he would have stuck around for long having to deal with them. He’d have gone elsewhere to be a successful head coach and we’d still be in the wilderness.
The facilities arms race that kicked into overdrive when Saban arrived at Bama changed everything. Same thing with roster management … aggressive oversigning and culling just weren’t in CMR’s DNA. Adams was not going to allow Richt to take advantage of any of that.
The thing that Richt could have controlled was QB recruiting. Every QB Richt and Bobo signed after Murray was either a bust or a limitation. Not offering Deshaun Watson until it was too late was the personnel decision that ended the CMR regime.
I agree, but I attribute that to bad luck as much as anything else. We had some nice QB recruiting wins over Bama, Florida and other teams, but the recruit just flamed out. Who was the big time recruit from NC that we got that never did anything? Also, the guy from Savannah area we got over Bama never panned out. Eason was a very nice get.
Christian Lemay was the NC QB I was thinking about. I remember he was a huge get, but did nothing in college.
Bryce Ramsey was the other.
Not recruiting Deshawn Watson reflected their bias for pro-style QBs.
Lemay missed his senior season in Charlotte due to a suspension for something he did that summer. He never recovered.
Ramsey was supposed to be the guy but never panned out.
Jacob Park never played a meaningful down at Georgia before transferring to Iowa State(?).
Hutson Mason was limited … we would have been in trouble in 2014 without the stable of backs we had.
Don’t forget Faton Bauta.
🤮
Should all those changes/hirings have happened, the GTP reliable referencing, known as The Lexicon would have never established “Third and Grantham”…GO DAWGS!!
I would have been ok with that.