Georgia coach Kirby Smart was in a festive mood at the annual Spurrier Awards at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grill in Gainesville on Monday, Feb. 23.
Being on enemy soil didn’t prevent Smart from roasting both Florida football and Miami during the event in which Georgia cornerback Ellis Johnson IV was named Football Writers Association of America defensive freshman of the year, while Miami receiver Malachi Toney was named FWAA offensive freshman of the year.
Advertisement
Smart began with some self-deprecating humor regarding his playing days at Georgia as a defensive back facing the Florida Gators before taking a good-natured jab at Miami coach Mario Cristobal while talking about Robinson’s parents.
“They were talking about the 50th birthday party he got and the 50th birthday she got, and it wasn’t quite the same, mama wins out,” Smart said. “We probably sponsored that trip with all the NIL money we spent, that’s a good safe bet. That’s OK, they deserve it.
“Mario is right behind them, if it was up to him, he would have paid a lot more NIL money. It came down to us, too, so I don’t like you being too close to Mario, you know what I’m saying. He’s still got another year left. You gotta be careful around Mario, sometimes he’ll take your players.”
After new Florida football coach Jon Sumrall laughed at the joke, Smart turned his attention back to UF. Smart asked Spurrier about his daughter, Lisa, being a successful realtor in Gainesville, then quipped to Sumrall, “well you’re the fourth coach I’ve played since being at Georgia so she’s getting a lot of money selling houses, she’s going through them.
Advertisement
“Look, I have tremendous respect for this town,” Smart continued. “I had no idea how great a basketball town this really was.”
Cristobal offered his own retort to Smart later in the ceremony, after a highlight video of Toney appeared on screen.
“It’s a great piece right there to watch what a player like Carson Beck can do with great coaching,” Cristobal said.
Spurrier capped things by saying he’s rooting for Miami and Georgia to meet in the playoffs next season.
“I wonder who Carson Beck will be rooting for,” Spurrier said.
Former Florida football coach honored during Spurrier event
Former Florida football coach Dan Mullen also was honored during the event as the Spurrier “first year” coach of the year after leading UNLV to a 10-4 record in his inaugural year at the school.
Advertisement
“I knew I was going to win a coach of the year award in Gainesville at some point,” quipped Mullen, who went 34-15 at UF before being fired in 2021. “It just was a little later than I thought it would be.”
Former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer was honored with a legend coaching award from Spurrier after leading the Vols to a 151-52-1 record and a national title in 1998. Colorado receiver Quentin Gibson, who led the nation in kick return yardage, was honored as the FWAA’s national freshman special teams player of the year.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Kirby Smart roasts Florida football, Miami coaches on enemy soil
