Kirby Smart only has to talk to the media twice a year.
He runs the nation’s fourth-ranked defense in points against, has won three national championships at Alabama as defensive coordinator, and is the second-highest paid assistant in the country. He has a good job.
But the question that usually arises during his semiannual meetings with the press is whether he would like to be a head coach.
During Alabama’s title streak, his name was consistently mentioned as a candidate for various coaching openings, but he remained at Alabama, and has been with head coach Nick Saban during his entire tenure at the school.
Smart, in his mandatory Sugar Bowl media week press conference, said he is “always” interested in head coaching vacancies but is waiting for the right opportunity. He wouldn’t define what “the right job” was, or what it would look like, and gave a very Saban-esque answer regarding it.
“I don’t know,” Smart said. “I don’t know what that is. That’s a hard question. I just want to beat Ohio State right now and worry about the rest later.”
Looking at his current situation, with the talent he has at his disposal and a berth in the first ever College Football Playoff, maybe the defensive coordinator spot at Alabama is the right one.
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