What does Kirby Smart think about Georgia football playing another team in a spring game?
SEC football coaches have weighed in during the past couple of weeks about whether they’d like to play spring games against other college programs rather than splitting their rosters into two to scrimmage.
New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze started up the conversation again by suggesting his team could play UAB and Alabama could face Troy. He said proceeds could go to charity.
How does Georgia coach Kirby Smart feel about that when it comes to the Bulldogs?
“I’m open to that idea,” Smart said Wednesday afternoon in an interview on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan. “It’s not something I think about a lot, think about often. Anything that benefits the greater good of your state or your community locally — and when I say locally, I mean the state of Georgia — we should be for that. If we have an opportunity to help organizations that need help, funding, and we can do that through the sport of football then I’m usually looking for a way to help out.”
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Georgia vs. Mercer, Georgia State, Kennesaw State or Georgia Southern to wrap up spring practices could offer some intrigue.
“I certainly don’t think it’s an opportunity to just be a money-maker,” Smart said. “It’s an opportunity to give back if our players can give back and have a game where or a scrimmage where you get to go against other people and the enjoyment and betterment of that goes to children’s hospital or whatever it may be, that’s usually a positive.”
Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea liked the idea if approved by the NCAA. Alabama coach Nick Saban called it a “great idea,” if it would help people. Florida’s Billy Napier seemed supportive as well.
“I’m OK with the way things are and I’m OK if we move towards that,” Smart said. “It gives us a chance to give back. I’m not one that kind of thinks it has to be one way or the other.”
Georgia closes spring practice with its third and final intrasquad scrimmage with the G-Day game at 4 p.m. Saturday at Sanford Stadium. It will air on ESPN2.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA's Kirby Smart weighs in on spring games against different programs
