Kirby Smart says his dad taught him to take a step backward in his early career to work for people smarter than him and optimize less for title/money and more for who he gets to learn from
βThroughout my career, each move I made, I would call my dad. βOkay, I have an opportunity to go to Valdosta State. What should I do?β And he would say, βTake it. Run with it. Youβre ready for it.β The next year: βOkay, I have an opportunity to be the defensive coordinator at 23 years old at a Division II school.ββ
ββYeah. Take it. Do it. Then when I had a chance to go to Florida State and be a graduate assistant, and you would see that as a step back from defensive coordinator, my dad was like, youβre going to get to work for Bobby Bowden.β
βHe saw the path. Heβs like, go work for people that are smarter than you, that are more successful than you, and itβll pave a long path for you.ββ
βMy first job at Valdosta State, I made $9,000 annually. Then you go from being a GA at Florida State making no money to being a coach for Nick Saban at LSU. My first real SEC job, I made $100,000.β
βThat was more than my dad had made his entire career coaching. He had coached for 30 years.β