Kirby Smart said Thursday he’s in no hurry to find a replacement for secondary coach Fran Brown, who was named the head coach at Syracuse on Sunday.

Neither is he concerned with whether or not Brown stays with the program through the postseason.

“We've been really focused on Alabama. That's all we're really thinking about. Those decisions that you're talking about, they're not important,” Smart said. “They have no relevance whatsoever to this game. Our focus and energy is on this game.”

Brown, who will be introduced at a press conference at Syracuse, has remained in Athens throughout Georgia’s preparation for Saturday’s SEC Championship (4 p.m., CBS).

“I really don't have to decide that right now, and don't even look to,” Smart said. “I don't even know why it's newsworthy, because what's newsworthy is he got a hell of an opportunity and he's done a tremendous job for us, and we're super happy for his family and for Syracuse to be getting someone of his character. But we're not worried about anything past Alabama.”

With the transfer portal set to open up on Sunday, Smart was asked what his plans for this year might be.

“Yeah, we utilize the portal, utilized the portal last year,” he said. “We had one year we didn't, but we had a lot of retention.”

This year, it remains to be seen. So far, linebacker Darris Smith is the only Bulldog to have officially announced his intentions to enter the upcoming portal window, which lasts 30 days.

Of course, name, image, and likeness will play a big role for teams hoping to benefit.

“I think times are changing, and everybody adapts to it. It's unfortunate to me that it's picking up pace,” Smart said. “I think this year will be a record-breaking year because the attention, the opportunity, the seeking out the monetary side of it is going to become a real norm.”

Smart admitted the way he and his staff approach the portal may be different from a lot of schools.

“We're trying to make our team better. We want to recruit really good high school players, and I think that's important to college football and our game, to recruit really good high school players and develop them,” Smart said. "But unfortunately, the more that goes in, the more we have to research the portal and take; otherwise you can't sustain. I would retain everybody on my team if I could, and I would play with the guys we have. But you have to take others in order to be able to field a team, unless you want all freshmen.”

The big SEC schedule reveal is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

The two-hour special will disclose the competition dates for the 2024 season in primetime on ESPN and the SEC Network.

The Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game will be held in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium through at least 2031, it was announced Thursday.

The agreement is an extension of the current contract that was set to expire in 2026. It also allows the SEC the option of exercising an additional five-year extension that could keep the game in Atlanta through 2036.

Atlanta has hosted the SEC Championship Game every year since 1994. The Georgia Dome was home to the game through 2016, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted the event since 2017. Saturday’s game between Alabama and Georgia will mark the 30th time Atlanta has hosted the SEC title game.

… On Alabama running back Jase McClellan, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban had this to say:

"He's not been able to do a lot. We'll see how he does today, where he is. I would have to say he's probably questionable for the game at this point,” Saban said. “I think it's probably too early to tell.”

If McClellan is unable to go, Smart knows that will not mean his team will be catching any breaks.

“Yeah, they have really good backs. They rotate three guys in and out, and they all complement each other really well,” Smart said. “They're powerful. They play behind a really good offensive line. Yards after contact is something that jumps off the screen at me. They don't go down at the first tackle. They catch the ball well out of the backfield, all three of them pick people up really well in pass pro.”

… Carson Beck has been named one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award, according to an announcement from the award and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Beck, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., has been named to the award’s Stars of the Week list twice. The Manning Award will name its 20th winner after the postseason in January 2024. Stetson Bennett won the award in 2022.

… Smart on Alabama freshman safety Caleb Downs: “He doesn't look like a freshman at all. He looks like a guy that's been playing for three years. He's instinctive. He's fast. He's fearless. He's everything that he was in high school,” Smart said. “I've seen him play about 100 7-on-7 games at our stadium and at our facility when his high school team came over all the time, and he's everything that we thought he was as a punt returner. He's just a football player that is instinctive and a great tackler. Just what you draw up when you want a defensive back.”