Kirby Smart shouts out Laura Rutledge to open press conference

ESPN reporter and studio host Laura Rutledge announced on Tuesday that she’s leaving SEC Nation after hosting the SEC Network show for the last decade. Rutledge hosts NFL Live for ESPN and became a full-time sideline reporter for Monday Night Football in 2025, and with ESPN set to televise Super Bowl LXI, she’ll be very busy on the NFL side for ESPN in the coming months.

Rutledge has been a highly respected voice in the SEC community, and on Tuesday, Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart began his press conference by expressing his appreciation for her work.

Kirby Smart opened up his press conference with a special shoutout to @LauraRutledge 🥹@GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/F9nZhNlkbz

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 26, 2026

“Shoutout to Laura Rutledge,” Smart, a two-time national champion head coach, said. “I found out this morning that she is going to be moving on away from her SEC duties. But I have a lot of respect for her. I feel like she and I have been in the SEC the same amount of time, with the tenure I’ve had and the tenure she’s had. She’s a good friend, and (I have) a lot of respect for the work she’s done. So, (I) appreciate her service and wish her nothing but the best moving on.”

Rutledge responded on X to the video:

True story: I’m in the car with my dad right now and he just said “wait is Kirby talking about YOU?” So kind. Love my SEC family. https://t.co/EDdhUhUi3X

— Laura Rutledge (@LauraRutledge) May 26, 2026

“True story: I’m in the car with my dad right now and he just said ‘wait is Kirby talking about YOU?’ So kind. Love my SEC family.”

It certainly says a lot about how much a member of the media is respected when a coach goes out of their way to talk about them, as Smart did for Rutledge.