Georgia football has been skewered for all the driving-related arrests they have accrued in the last two years, and now the character of their head coach is also under attack. Before the team earned a 41-31 home win, Kirby Smart appeared to shove Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr.

The freshman signal-caller, who is starting in place of the injured Blake Shapen, was pushed out of bounds while running towards the Georgia sidelines in the second half. As he makes his way back to the field, an animated Smart charged into Van Buren while he was addressing someone, via On3.

Because both men were walking at the same time and not seemingly looking at one another, the contact could be considered incidental. But the manner in which the two-time national champion pushes off the player suggests that he could have shoved him out of his way in the heat of the moment. No flag was thrown.

People react to Kirby Smart-Michael Van Buren Jr. encounter

In the postgame press conference, Smart said he did not vividly recall the situation but clarified that he was trying to alert defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann of a personnel change (many people thought he was arguing with an official), per Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

Van Buren had a fuzzy recollection of the sequence as well. “I'm not really sure what that was, but I was just trying to play my game,” he said. “I didn't really see it for real.”

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It remains to be seen if people accept Smart's explanation of the incident, but they did not hold much back in the immediate aftermath of the apparent shove.

“No wonder all their players are getting arrested,” one account posted on X. “He should be suspended,” said another. There will be Georgia football fans and others who argue Smart's intent, but the optics could be disastrous. “That's a really bad look,” one person effectively communicated.

Will Smart face any discipline?

Since the officials did not penalize Kirby Smart, there may not be a formal response by the NCAA. Many are calling for firm action, though. “He should be fined for this..” a college football fan posted.

It is safe to say that Davis Wade Stadium will have a hostile welcome for Smart when Georgia visits Mississippi State in 2025. Though, the rest of the sports world might not be pleased with him right now, either. The No. 5 team in the country heads to Austin for a massive matchup against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, so it is possible the story is completely overshadowed by next weekend.

But the “culture problem” accusations will pile up following this viral moment.