College football’s a cold game, no doubt. One minute you’re the king; the next, people are acting like you’ve lost your touch. Kirby Smart? He’s living that right now. Fresh off Nick Saban’s retirement and Jim Harbaugh’s NFL jump, ESPN crowned him top coach in 2024—the new GOAT, right? But after two straight years running the show, he has one ‘down’ season—11-3 and an SEC title, mind you—and suddenly, the whispers start. People were giving him the side-eye for a minute after 2024. Then, just like that, the football heavyweights step in, throwing up the alley-oop, slapping that GOAT label right back on him.
On March 3rd, CFB analysts Blake Ruffino and Joe DeLeone hopped on The Ruffino & Joe Show and straight-up defended Smart like he was family. DeLeone set the tone early, hitting folks with some facts: “Kirby Smart is one of the greatest coaches of all time. Like, we haven’t given him enough recognition. I haven’t heard that brought up enough for what he’s been able to accomplish at Georgia before the age of 50. We’re talking about a guy who’s won multiple national championships. Two. He’s been to three, and he has not even turned 50 years old yet.” Ain’t gonna lie, winning 3 SEC titles, and 2 Natty before turning 49 is crazy work.
Georgia’s 2024 season was, by normal standards, still elite. They finished 11-3, took home another SEC Championship, and landed at No. 6 in the final AP poll. But when you’ve been eating at the big-boy table for this long, anything less than a natty feels like a letdown. And yeah, that 23-10 Sugar Bowl loss to Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame squad wasn’t pretty.
But let’s not act like the Bulldogs suddenly fell off the map. Offensively, they weren’t the world-beaters fans were used to, putting up 31.5 points per game (38th nationally) and thriving in the air with 281.0 passing yards per game (12th nationally). But that run game? Man, it was rough—just 124.4 rushing yards per game, ranking a shocking 102nd in the country.
Defensively, Georgia was still a problem, but not quite the brick wall it’s been in recent years. They allowed 20.6 points per game (23rd in the nation) and got gashed on the ground more than usual, giving up 129.6 rushing yards per game—the most they’ve allowed since 2018. It wasn’t the usual bloodbath Georgia fans expected from a Kirby Smart defense, but still better than most teams dream of.
And let’s talk about Kirby’s full body of work. Since 2016, Georgia has gone 105-9 under his watch. Two nattys, 3 SEC titles, and a reputation as a program that breeds NFL talent like no other. He’s owned Florida (8-1), Tennessee (9-1), and Auburn (9-1), but yeah, Alabama’s been a thorn in his side (1-5 record). Still, his only win over Bama came when it mattered most—in the 2022 SEC Championship before rolling to the natty. Against ranked teams, Georgia has held its own with a 34-12 record.
NFL GM says only real dogs strap up for Kirby Smart and Georgia—‘No cowards’
While some fans were quick to throw shade at Kirby after the 2024 season, NFL decision-makers? Yeah, they see things a little differently. The NFL Combine just wrapped up in Indianapolis, and per usual, the Bulldogs had their fingerprints all over it. Nearly crazy amounts of Dawgs gonna hear their names called in the 2025 NFL Draft, and one NFL GM couldn’t stop raving about what Smart has built in Athens.
“Kirby is the best coach in the SEC, and Georgia is where guys who want to be great go,” the GM told Bulldogs on SI. “No guy who is a coward goes there because you got five-star water boys. Kirby has the best recruiting pitch, ‘if you can play here you can play in the Sunday league. We got the best coaches, and players here make it to the NFL.’ He seized the proverbial mantle from Nick (Saban). And that place is a goldmine of coaching and talent and is run like an NFL team.”
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Clemson at Georgia Aug 31, 2024 Atlanta, Georgia, USA Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart talks with players during the fourth quarter of the 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game against the Clemson Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium Georgia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxRuinardx 20240831_gma_usa_0228
And he didn’t stop there. This same GM made it clear that Smart ain’t just a top-tier college coach—he’s got NFL teams straight-up drooling over the idea of bringing him to the league. “How long will he take on the circus that is college football? He already runs an NFL program, and NFL teams are salivating for the word that he will come out.” Look, Kirby Smart’s talent is clearly translating to the NFL. Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter—they literally won the Super Bowl last month.
Smart has been vocal about the challenges of the current college football landscape—NIL, the transfer portal. And the constant roster churn makes it harder to build sustainable dynasties. But there’s optimism around potential regulation on the NIL and portal front, which could make things a little less chaotic for guys like Smart who are trying to maintain powerhouse programs.
So, let’s go ahead and shut down the noise. Kirby Smart ain’t on no hot seat. To put Kirby Smart and hot seat in the same sentence is diabolical. He’s got an NFL pipeline running through Athens. Recruits are still lining up to play for him. And even NFL executives acknowledge he’s taken over for Saban as the SEC’s alpha. One slightly “off” year by Georgia’s absurd standards doesn’t change the fact that Smart is still that guy. And if anything, knowing him, 2025 is about to be a full-on revenge tour.
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