Why didn't Kirby Smart take the Georgia offer? Couldn't have been the money. So, what prevented him from taking the offer? After talking this over with a handful of former players and people close to the situation on both sides, I've come to some conclusions.
    Again, it wasn't money. Reportedly, Damon and Mark offered Coach Smart a 3-year contract worth $700,000 per year. It's doubtful Alabama will be paying his 700k in 2010. He'll get a raise from the 2009 salary of $369,000, but it won't hit the 700 level.
    I'm told it comes down to 3 things. 
    The first is Rodney Garner. These two guys have some sort of rivalry thing going on that started out on the recruiting trail. One of those competitive situations. Recruiting the same guy and one coach accused the other of something. They've been knocking heads ever since. Garner is the Assistant Head Coach. Kirby needed that title at Georgia to help make it a non-lateral move. Garner is the D-Line coach. Smart wanted to bring in "his guy" to coach the DL (that probably being Travis Jones). And remember, these guys coached together on Richt's staff in 2005. There is some history here. And the word is, Kirby Smart didn't want to work with Rodney Garner again.
    Reason #2 is the Georgia strength program. It's got a reputation of being less than outstanding. Some football guys even refer to it as being "outdated." There are reports that have some Georgia players going to see a strength coach outside the program. Spoke with one NFL guy who commented that even when Van Halanger was at FSU, the OL/DL prospects coming out of there were great athletes, but not NFL strong. Coach Smart was concerned by this, after all doesn't Alabama have one of the top strength programs in CF right now? Another person close to the program told me that Richt has been approached by 2 former Georgia strength coaches, who were interested in helping again, and they were told by Coach Richt that "they don't have a strength issue." The DC wants his DL strong. Sounds like this was an issue.
    Reason #3 is that Saban put the hammer down with this idea that he doesn't support assistant coaches making lateral moves. When that head coaching opportunity comes up for Kirby, maybe Saban trashes him behind his back. That thought isn't encourarging. Don't want to upset Nick Saban, right? Play it safe, work for Nick and get that awesome endorsement when the time comes. 
    Richt has stayed loyal to Garner and Van Halanger. But it cost him Kirby Smart. Guess he thought the "knock his socks off" contract offer would trump those concerns. Kirby Smart was in a situation were he didn't need to take this job, if everything was not as he wanted it. So he stayed at Alabama.