With the SEC football season just a few months away, here’s a look at how the conference’s coaches rank in 2016.
Bio: Kirby Smart spent several years as one of the college football’s most revered assistant coaches. Smart won the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach, in 2009 and the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2012.
Aside from a season as Georgia’s running back coach in 2005, Smart has spent the past 12 seasons coaching under Alabama’s Nick Saban, beginning at LSU where he served as a defensive backs coach in 2004. The duo reunited in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2006, where Smart served as a safeties coach, before jumping to Alabama the following season.
Together, Saban and Smart have won four national championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015) and SEC titles (2009, 2012, 2014-15). But now, Smart will attempt to prove his worth as a head coach for the first time in his career.
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Georgia (AA) |
| 2000 | Valdosta State (DB) |
| 2001 | Valdosta State (DC) |
| 2002–2003 | Florida State (GA) |
| 2004 | LSU (DB) |
| 2005 | Georgia (RB) |
| 2006 | Miami Dolphins (S) |
| 2007 | Alabama (AHC/DB) |
| 2008–2015 | Alabama (DC) |
| 2016–present | Georgia |
Reason For Ranking: Hold on, Georgia fans. Before you complain that Smart is too low on our list, consider he has absolutely no experience as a head coach.
That’s not to say that he will be a terrible hire because of it, rather that he has no proof of deserving to be ranked higher than proven SEC coaches. Smart ranks ahead of Missouri’s Barry Odom — another former defensive coordinator in his first season — because Georgia should be a great team, where as expectations at Missouri are low.
The only reason Mark Richt, the Bulldogs’ second-winningest coach in history — was fired was that he failed to live up to expectations in 2016. But Georgia was still an eventual 10-win team, just not a national contender.
Smart is inheriting an outstanding roster and managed to keep a fifth-ranked recruiting class in tact despite having serving just two months on the job before National Signing Day — which, of course, was shared with time spent preparing for Alabama’s national championship game. If he can win in 2016, he’ll surely be ranked higher on the SEC coaching tier. But as of now, Smart needs to prove his worth and shouldn’t jump the conference’s proven coaches.
2016 Schedule:
| Date | Opponent | |||
| Saturday Sep. 3 |
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North Carolina Tar Heels Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA |
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| Saturday Sep. 10 |
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Nicholls State Colonels Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
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| Saturday Sep. 17 |
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at Missouri Tigers Faurot Field, Columbia, MO |
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| Saturday Sep. 24 |
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at Ole Miss Rebels Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS |
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| Saturday Oct. 1 |
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Tennessee Volunteers Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
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| Saturday Oct. 8 |
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at South Carolina Gamecocks Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC |
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| Saturday Oct. 15 |
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Vanderbilt Commodores (HC) Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
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| Saturday Oct. 22 |
— | OFF | ||
| Saturday Oct. 29 |
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Florida Gators EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL |
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| Saturday Nov. 5 |
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at Kentucky Wildcats Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY |
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| Saturday Nov. 12 |
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Auburn Tigers Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
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| Saturday Nov. 19 |
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UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
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| Saturday Nov. 26 |
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA |
2016 Outlook: As noted, Georgia is a talented football team. Nick Chubb is the best running back in the SEC — aside from LSU’s Leonard Fournette — and should make a successful recovery from a knee injury.
Georgia returns nine starters on offense including Chubb and Sony Michel, who took over in October at running back after Chubb’s injury and rushed for 1,161 yards, which ranked seventh among SEC backs.
Quarterback Greyson Lambert also returns after starting 12 games for the Bulldogs in 2015. However, five-star freshman Jacob Eason is expected to pressure Lambert for the starting job this offseason, although the veteran should keep his job through fall camp.
Georgia’s defense returns its entire starting secondary, but just one member of its front seven, defensive tackle Trent Thompson. Fortunately, Smart’s expertise is on defense and he has plenty of players to fill voids this offseason.
The Bulldogs should contend in a wide open SEC East. Aside from Tennessee, Georgia has the most talented returning lineup, but could experience growing pains in Smart’s first season. It will be interesting to see how fast the Bulldogs can adjust to the new scheme, but there’s no question that it has the talent to contend for an SEC Championship.
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