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Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham Makes Georgia’s Kirby Smart Look Bad With Transfer Portal Comments

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Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart might want to take a page out of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham‘s playbook next time he’s asked about one his players entering the transfer portal.

Dillingham showed his class on Monday when defensive back Kamari Wilson announced his intention to enter transfer portal prior to the Sun Devils’ College Football Playoff campaign.

Kenny Dillingham Strikes Different Chord Than Kirby Smart On Transfer Portal

“One of the best teammates and most physical players we have on our team!! Absolute joy to coach!!!! Fired up to keep coaching you thru the bowl/playoff,” Dillingham tweeted.

On the flip side, let’s compare that to how Smart reacted when cornerback Julian Humphrey entered the transfer portal just before the SEC Championship Game.

“No status [for the SEC Championship] that I’m aware of,” Smart said. “We’re worried about the guys we’re going to play Texas with. I’m not dealing with it. I’m worried about my team. I’ve learned in this thing that you worry about the players that are with you, not the ones that aren’t.”

Smart also stated that he had not spoken to Humphrey since the decision to enter the portal.

“I’m worried about my team,” Smart said. “I mean, I’ve learned in this thing that you worry about the players that are with you, not the ones that aren’t. And you focus on the guys that are out there on that field playing it and in trying to win games and eight overtimes and, like, they love the University of Georgia and want to compete and be part of it.

“And you don’t really try to focus on the guys that aren’t, because they’ll be looking for the next stop. We got guys all over the place that aren’t here now that wish they could come back. So it’s a decision each kid has to make.”

Ouch.

Now, Smart clearly knows how to win. There’s a reason he led the Dawgs to their first national title in 41 yards in 2021 and then repeated one year later. But it’s still a rough look. Dillingham clearly cares about his players beyond the success of the ASU program.

Whether or not Smart does is certainly up for debate. But given his lack of action regarding Georgia’s rampant reckless driving issues, one can make their own assumptions.