Recruiting trips are usually about figuring out where you fit and picking a school. But for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, the 1993 trip to Florida started a lifelong friendship that began in an awkward manner. Despite the hype surrounding the Manning family, even then, the young Kirby just had no idea who he was meeting.

In an appearance on the Sons and Daughters podcast, Kirby Smart shared the story of the first time he crossed paths with Peyton Manning.

“I went to Florida on an official visit, and I went with Peyton Manning, who I didn’t know who Peyton Manning was,” Kirby Smart told Shannon Spake. “We were both in high school. And his dad, Archie Manning, was there on the visit. He was with his son, and my dad was with me. And my dad was so enamored, so flabbergasted, so enthralled that this was Archie Manning. That was everybody’s childhood hero.”

Archie Manning was football royalty. He had become a legend at Ole Miss and one of the most recognizable QBs of his generation. That’s why, for someone like Sonny Smart, who played college football at Samford, standing next to him was like meeting a rock star. Meanwhile, Kirby Smart was completely lost.

“I’m like, ‘Who’s Archie Manning? Who’s Peyton Manning?’ I don’t even know who that is,” he recalled. “But I met him on the visit, and he and I have been very good friends ever since.”

That awkward recruiting weekend ended up becoming the start of a friendship that would span over 30 years. First came the SEC. Peyton Manning became the face of Tennessee, who later developed into the greatest QB the Vols ever produced. Kirby Smart, meanwhile, headed home to the Peach State, where he became a two-year starter, team captain, and All-SEC DB.

For three seasons, they found themselves on opposite sidelines. Tennessee won all three meetings against Georgia with Peyton Manning as QB. But Kirby Smart still has one play he loves bringing up. Back in 1995, he intercepted Manning for the first interception of his college career. It didn’t matter that the Vols eventually won the game 30-27. Nor did it matter that the QB threw for over 1,000 yards against the Bulldogs during his career. 

Kirby Smart got the pick, and Peyton Manning has spent years hearing about it. That little bit of friendly trash talk has become part of their relationship. And it only grew stronger when football reunited them again at the professional level. After going undrafted in 1999, the Georgia DB signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where his friend was already established as the franchise QB. The stay didn’t last long, though. 

“I went to the Colts for a little brief stint. Wasn’t good enough,” Smart joked. “But I was with him then. And then we’ve remained friends.”

Peyton Manning became an NFL icon, winning two Super Bowls and five MVP awards. Kirby Smart headed into coaching, eventually climbing Nick Saban’s coaching tree before leading Georgia to multiple national championships and becoming the legendary coach we know today. Yet through all those years, one recruiting trip remained a favorite topic between them.

Peyton Manning never forgot Kirby Smart’s frustration at Florida

As it turns out, Peyton Manning remembers that Florida visit just as clearly, but it’s for a different reason. While Kirby Smart remembers meeting the Manning family, he remembers the DB leaving a meeting with Steve Spurrier feeling furious.

“I remember he was so angry after his meeting,” he recalled. “I guess it was with Spurrier because they didn’t offer him. They wanted him to walk-on. He was so mad. He and I went and drank a lot of beer.”

That’s the memory Peyton Manning never lets go. Florida came incredibly close to offering Kirby Smart, as he himself admitted, but the scholarship never came. Now, the school that nearly recruited him would later become one of Georgia’s fiercest rivals. 

Funny thing is, neither of them chose Florida despite their first impression in Gainesville. Peyton Manning followed OC David Cutcliffe to Tennessee. Kirby Smart stayed loyal to his home-state Bulldogs. But every great friendship has an origin story, and that’s where Florida played the most important part.