Kirby Smart comments on the viral Jake Pope video of Ole Miss' loss

Georgia's defender Jake Pope made headlines for all the wrong reasons this weekend after a video of Pope celebrating with Ole Miss fans went viral. The video drew the ire of Georgia fans and Kirby Smart commented on the situation on Monday.

“What an idiot. Just stupid,” Smart said. “I haven't seen it until today. He's embarrassed. He is upset about this. This is obviously a childhood friend that they grew up playing with in Buford. I haven't seen him in ages. Just not really smart.” But to be honest, I don't have time to waste my energy on that.

The viral video showed Pope jumping up and down between Rebels fans after they stormed the field. Pope stood among Ole Miss fans wearing Rebels offensive lineman jerseys Reece McIntyrewho also attended Buford High School.

Pope issued a lengthy statement about the events on Monday afternoon.

“I wanted to address the videos that were released after the Ole Miss game. First of all, I wanted to apologize for taking it out of perspective and causing distraction/upset for my teammates and coaches. That's not the case.” In no way would I celebrate a loss in this program, and anyone who knows me well knows that my longtime family friends unexpectedly came up to me after the game. I tried to cheer myself up after that to save the game from the field and was also surprised to see them. That's why you saw the reaction I gave in the video. They are also very close to me, a former teammate and long-time friend on the Ole Miss team, which is why they wear these jerseys (They also came to my games.)

“I've been Georgia through thick and thin and have never loved a group of guys more than the guys I fight with day in and day out. Finally, I would like to say once again that I am completely sorry to my teammates, coaches and fans.” From the looks of this video, I have decided to move on and prepare for a great rest of the season with my brothers.

Pope transferred from Alabama to Georgia this offseason. He played in 11 games for Alabama in 2023. He played primarily on special teams, but also played on defense against both Kentucky and Chattanooga. He didn't play as a true freshman in 2022.

“He did a good job,” Smart said of Pope after G-Day. “He has done well from his last school to here. He needs to continue to get better and understand our defense. Make plays in space. He needs to help us on special teams and be able to play faster and do some things. I do.’ I think he made some nice plays.

Pope was a standout at Buford and a four-star prospect in the 2022 class. He was considered the No. 30 prospect in the state of Georgia according to 247Sports and was also ranked as the No. 28 safety by the website.

As a varsity football player, Pope helped the Wolves win the Multiplate state championships and was also a highly rated junior baseball player. He chose Alabama over Georgia, Notre Dame and North Carolina.