Some Things Ought to Stay in the House
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 14, 2026
GEORGIA MONEYBALL — Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Audio of Kirby Smart's locker-room speeches at Alabama got out, and the man who guards every secret in Athens is not amused.
ALBANY, GA — · By the RFA Sports Desk
My people had a rule. What got said at the supper table stayed at the supper table. Daddy could cuss the Democrats, Mama could cuss Daddy, and none of it got to the Methodist church by Sunday. A college football locker room used to work the same way. The coach could holler, cry, quote scripture or threaten the furniture, and nobody outside the door ever heard it. Saturday Down South reported this week that audio of Kirby Smart's pregame and postgame speeches at Alabama got onto social media anyway. The supper table has been bugged.
Kirby did not throw a fit about it, which surprised me some. At his Monday press conference he told reporters the locker room is "a spot that you should be able to feel safe to talk to your team," and then he added, "we've got to do a better job managing it, honestly." That is a man who has found somebody's cell phone in the gravy and is trying hard not to say what he really thinks. Kirby Smart would padlock the depth chart if the NCAA let him. Having his halftime voice played on a telephone must feel like getting caught singing in the shower.
The plays are still the best-kept secret in Athens; it's the man calling them you can now hear any time you like.
This desk is not going to tell you what was on the tape, and I'd thank you not to go looking. A coach talks to nineteen-year-olds in a voice he'd never use at a booster luncheon, and that's how it ought to be. And look at the irony. Our machine guesses Georgia's next play right only 54.6 percent of the time, so the play-calling is still Athens' best-kept secret. It's the man who calls the plays that you can now hear any time you like.
Of course the past weekend was hard on secrets everywhere. Unranked Oklahoma beat No. 1 Texas 27 to 24 when Tate Sandell kicked a 47-yard field goal with no time left. UCLA won 17 to 15 at Oregon after the Ducks gave the ball away seven times. Kentucky beat No. 10 LSU 35 to 34 in overtime. South Carolina went into the Swamp as a double-digit underdog and won 38 to 19. Kirby said Monday he's "still waiting for the first Curt Cignetti effect in the SEC." After a weekend like that, I wouldn't wait too long.
Which brings us to Auburn, coming to Athens on Saturday. Saturday Down South reported that Circa Sports opened Georgia as an 18-point favorite, and Georgia has won the last nine meetings. Auburn coach Alex Golesh confirmed Monday that linebacker Xavier Atkins is suspended and "won't be available," and he would not say why. Now there's a man who knows how to keep things in the house. Kirby might ring him up and ask how he does it, as long as Golesh promises nobody's recording the call.
The Notebook
- SATURDAY IN ATHENS: Auburn at Georgia kicks off Saturday at 3:30 PM Eastern. The desk has Georgia at minus 20.5 and calls it a lock.
- HARDWARE IN THE TRENCHES: Dontrell Glover is the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye is the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, DawgNation reported, after Georgia ran for 206 yards and sacked Keelon Russell four times at Alabama.
- THE DODD LIST: Kirby Smart is one of 18 coaches on the Dodd Trophy midseason watch list. The award honors a coach who wins while stressing scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Written in the tradition of Lewis Grizzard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1946–1994.
Hear the desk read tonights report on Radio Free Albany, WPFQ 96.7.
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