Mark Ingram said he personally knows Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, as Smart served as defensive coordinator at Alabama when Ingram starred for the Crimson Tide.
Ingram also said he knows it’s a good thing Smart never pulled a stunt at Alabama similar to what he did against Mississippi State Saturday, or he would have taken an “a** whooping.”
Smart went viral on social media and earned scorn on highlight shows after he was shown shoving Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren during the second half of Georgia’s victory.
Kirby Smart shoves Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren while arguing with official.
(via @SECNetwork)https://t.co/3JH351c7HR pic.twitter.com/zHYpnyClCg
— On3 (@On3sports) October 12, 2024
It appeared Smart was trying to argue with an official when he shoved Van Buren. After the game, he said he was trying to reach defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, and he didn’t recall the incident. Smart has since apologized and personally reached out to Van Buren to express his regret.
Still, it was a terrible look for Smart. Ingram, now an analyst on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, talked about the incident on The Triple Option podcast and made his feelings clear: Smart never would have gotten away with something like that with an Alabama player.
“The SEC lucky there wasn’t an a** whooping,” Ingram said. “I know Kirby perfectly. He was my defensive coordinator when I was at Alabama, and he knows if he would have touched any one of us alphas like that, then he would have been squared up on. If he would have tried to push Rolando McClain, Courtney Upshaw, them cats like that. Me, like Julio Jones, like I would have been trying to get at Kirby.
“I would have been trying to get at Kirby. Now it was on (their) sideline, so I don’t know if I would have been able to get to him, but I damn sure would have tried. Kirby knows what would’ve went down. That’s somebody’s child, man.”
Ingram, who went on to play 12 NFL seasons at Alabama, is building a media career these days. He joined Big Noon Kickoff in 2023.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.