Georgia Coach Kirby Smart 'Has a Ton of Respect' For Steve Sarkisian and Texas Longhorns

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart thinks Texas is SEC ready.

Isa Almeida | Jul 17, 2024

Jul 16, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Georgia head coach Kirby Smart speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

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Texas Longhorns

There is a new look to the SEC in 2024.

On July 1, Texas and Oklahoma officially joined the conference, marking a historic day in college football.

On Tuesday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart discussed the two new league members at SEC Media Days and shared his thoughts on what they bring to the SEC.

"When Texas and Oklahoma came into the conference, every schedule was going to get harder," Smart said at SEC Media Days.

Georgia will take a trip to Austin on Oct. 19 to play the Longhorns at Darrell K Royal Stadium, and Smart praised the work Steve Sarkisian has done with the program.

Jul 16, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Georgia head coach Kirby Smart speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

"I have a ton of respect for Sark and the job he does," Smart said. "We got to watch them play last year against several common opponents. We got to watch them play in the playoffs. They have a tremendous recruiting base. They do a tremendous job in recruiting, and that includes NIL."

Smart is very familiar with success and knows what it takes to build a championship team. He took up the head coach role at Georgia in 2016 and led the team to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.

"They're a big physical football team," Smart said. "They're built like an SEC football team, so we're looking forward to an opportunity to come play them. What a tremendous matchup that will be."

In ESPN's Top 10 hardest schedules in the 2024 season, Texas sits 10th, behind Georgia Tech, while all of the top eight are SEC teams. Kirby's Georgia is No.3, behind Florida and Mississippi State, who will face Texas on week four.

Georgia is a game every Texas fan is looking forward to, and it promises to be one of the toughest ones.

Published Jul 17, 2024

ISA ALMEIDA

Isa Almeida is a writer covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation, having joined the team on June 1, 2024. Raised in Southeast Brazil, Isa is now a third-year Journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. Fluent in both English and Portuguese, Isa brings a diverse background and a wealth of knowledge to her writing. In addition to her work with SI/Fan Nation, Isa also covers the soccer and women's basketball beats for The Daily Texan. Her journalism journey is firmly rooted in her academic pursuits and her passion for sports.