Almost every player who passes through Georgia Bulldogs football walks away with a story about Kirby Smart. Many of those stories have remained untold. However, we recently got an inside scoop on Daylen Everette’s unforgettable memory of Coach Smart. He recalled and shared the first time he truly felt Smart’s intensity during practice.

“I remember there was one time, I think it was my freshman year. We were at fall camp, and it was my first time getting reps with the ones, and you know, I gave up some plays. And he [Smart] just starts cussing me out on the mic,” Daylen Everette said via DawgNation. “He’s like, ‘Man, you can’t guard him? You want to play, right? And you can’t even do that; what are we doing?’ That was the first time he really got on me like bad on the mic.”

He got beaten on a few consecutive plays, and Smart made it clear that his effort simply wasn’t good enough. It hit him so hard that he briefly questioned whether he could continue playing under him.

“He was yelling,” Everette added. “I went back to my room and probably called my mom. I like that I don’t know how to do this anymore. But that’s just how he is as a coach.”

However, sticking to Smart’s squad, despite considering quitting football, actually paid off for Everette.

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Nearly 150 tackles, five interceptions, and 15-plus pass deflections later, the cornerback walked away with a good resume. The progression was hard to miss. Ten solo tackles in 2022 turned into 23 in 2023 and a breakout 45 in 2024. But the 2025 season saw the number drop to 29. These stats show how Smart’s squad has grown a reputation for being battle-tested, both mentally and physically. 

“Tough. That’s what Kirby [Smart] is about. That’s what that program is about,” said Atlanta Falcons head coach Steven Stefanski. “I’ll be there at their pro day in March to see it up close and personal, but you’re getting a mentally and physically tough football player when they are coming out of Georgia.”

The strictness towards players, especially defensive backs, comes from Smart’s own past as a player. Smart’s run from ’95 to ’98 was nothing short of standout. The Bulldogs’ safety collected four letters and etched his name into the record books, finishing fourth all-time with 13 career picks.

As Everette opened up about catching heat from Smart, quarterback Gunner Stockton, too, got a taste of the head coach’s tough love. Back in 2022, during his freshman year, Stockton snapped the ball too early, even though defensive lineman Jalen Carter instructed him not to. The quarter pulled off a mimicry of Smart: “What are we doing?”

Turns out that Smart is not just strict about the on-field traits, but he is equally particular about fixing the culture of the program.

Kirby Smart’s discipline that extends beyond the gridiron

Just like Everette, Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller is about to hit the NFL Combine. But before that, he gave Smart due credit for shaping him from a boy to a man. He admitted how early in Athens he was “living a little too fast.” But he got a wake-up call in March 2023, after he was pulled over for going 30 mph above the limit.

Later, he was fined by Smart and gained a second chance only after showing signs of credibility. Miller had hit the practice at 6:30 in the morning and even did community service to win back Smart’s trust. 

“It’s not right. He doesn’t like it,” the player shared about Smart’s stance on speeding. “And I feel like he does a good job of disciplining players for it and just holding them accountable, taking money, and having us come in early for 6:30, just showing us that’s not what you do. When you get in the car, you drive the speed limit; you do what you’re supposed to do.”

But at the end of the day, be it on-field or off-field, Kirby Smart’s disciplined structure has only pushed players to their best potential. With the combine looming, Everette and Miller are ready to woo the NFL scouts. Now that they have survived the tough environment in Athens, NFL scouts already see them as battle-tested products.