Florida and Georgia engage annually in a heated rivalry game in Jacksonville. Following Saturday’s edition of the yearly tilt, formerly known in a prior world as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” fireworks emerged. That pyro came courtesy of Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, who took a swipe at former Florida coach-turned-ESPN analyst Dan Mullen.
Before Saturday’s matchup between the Gators and Bulldogs, Mullen picked UF to pull off the upset over the Dawgs. It’s worth noting that before joining the Worldwide Leader, Mullen served as head coach at Florida from 2018-2021.
Fast-forward to Saturday night, and the Bulldogs dismantled the Gators. Top-ranked Georgia celebrated a 43-20 victory over their rivals in Jacksonville. The Dawgs have won three in a row and six of the last seven against their rivals. The only win came in 2020 in a 44-28 victory for Florida while Mullen was head coach.
At his postgame press conference, Smart addressed Mullen’s pick and came with a response to that of his own.
Mullen’s the last coach to defeat the Dawgs as a Florida head coach, but Kirby still beat him on three other occasions. And, of course, the Bulldogs did win two College Football Playoff championships in the last two seasons and are going for a three-peat.
Smart’s comments follow a recent run of coaches responding to the media. From Ryan Day’s ax to grind with Lou Holtz, the drama between Skip Bayless and Dan Lanning, and Saturday’s clash between Steve Smith Sr. and Dave Doeren, there has been no shortage in this category this season.
“Honestly, it was 1 o’clock this morning. I was thinking about it, praying about it. The feeling I just got, it was a great feeling. I wanted to do it right then,” Williams said, via Dawgs247. “So I called him and Coach Smart really late last night. They started their vacation, so neither picked up, but they both called me as soon as they woke up this morning. I talked to both of them on the phone. They were fired up about it.”
His timing couldn’t be more perfect after four-star wide receiver CJ Wiley committed to Florida State over Georgia, a decision that surprised many and broke the hearts of Bulldogs fans everywhere.
With Williams, Georgia now has 16 players committed from the class of 2025. The commitment also bumps them from No. 4 to the No. 3 recruiting class.
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