Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has been ranked as the SEC’s best in USA TODAY’s SEC coach rankings by Blake Toppmeyer. Smart has won three of the last four SEC championships.
Smart is entering his 11th season at Georgia. The Bulldogs are 117-21 over the first 10 years of Smart’s career. Georgia has won two national championships and four SEC championships during the Smart era, so it should come as no surprise that he’s the SEC best ranked coach entering the 2026 season.
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“Smart doesn’t rule college football with the same authority he did a few years ago, but he retains clear superiority over his SEC peers,” Toppmeyer wrote. “Smart’s ability to recruit, retain and develop talent remains a weapon, even in this era of transfer free agency. Georgia is still a perennial contender and built to last amid the sport’s constant state of evolution.”
Smart’s teams have remained consistent SEC championship participants and College Football Playoff contenders despite shifting waters due to the transfer portal, changing rules and name, image and likeness.
Only three active coaches have wins over Smart with Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer being the only one to earn multiple head-to-head wins against coach Smart. Alabama has had success against Georgia, but Smart and the Dawgs were able to shut down that narrative a bit with a dominant 28-7 SEC championship win over the Crimson Tide in December.
Active SEC coaches with wins over Kirby Smart
Head coach Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs
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Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: Two wins
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Lane Kiffin, LSU: One win
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Pete Golding, Ole Miss: One win
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Every active SEC coach with a win over Kirby Smart
