After No. 2 Alabama’s 29-15 win over No. 12 Florida to capture the SEC title Saturday, safety Cyrus Jones told reporters that Smart told the team he’ll stick with them through the upcoming College Football Playoff, in which Alabama will presumably participate.
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Mark Richt, the man Smart is expected to replace, originally planned to coach Georgia in its bowl game, but decided earlier this week to go ahead and focus his efforts on his new gig at Miami.
Smart, 39, was a defensive back at Georgia from 1995-98 and served as a grad assistant on Jim Donnan’s staff in 1999. Smart has been on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama since 2007 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2008. Under Smart, Alabama has the nation’s second-best defense in terms of total defense, allowing just 265 yards per game.
