The Georgia Bulldogs have made it through SEC Media Days week and are now one step closer to fall camp, meaning they are also one step closer to the actual start of the season.

Talking season has come to a close and it's almost time to let the play on the field do the talking, but it is difficult to ignore one common trend from Tampa last week when the Bulldogs took the podium. As has been the case for a couple of years now, media has hung on every word Kirby Smart has to say whether it be about his team, the conference, or the bigger issues in college football.

Smart's former mentor and boss Nick Saban by the end of his career had become the biggest voice in the sport, and his retirement left a huge vacuum in this area. While he has had to get used to it, Smart has certainly become that and this year's SEC Media Days only served to prove it further.

Early in the week, it was Smart's comments on a potential SEC breakaway and him being for that which -- while overblown -- seemed to be the most popular talking point among those who make a living speaking about the conference.

By the time it was the Dawgs' turn to actually take the podium, it was his thoughts on his team, the wide receiver group, NIL and how it's handled in the locker room and much more that were the main takeaway from a day full of notable head coaches talking to the press.

Smart is obviously not making the decisions for the way things are going to be in the sport, but he does have the ability to steer things at least in terms of discourse in the way that he wants. This can be a huge benefit not only to the Georgia program, but also to the SEC as it relates to the rest of college football.

If steps are going to be taken to secure the future of this sport, voices like Smart are going to be key in making that happen and being able to put the Bulldogs in the best position possible in that future. As his job continues to evolve, everything Smart says and does will be scrutinized, but this is a privilege just as much as it as a pressure.