CBS Ranks SEC coaches: Where did Georgia Football HC, Kirby Smart land?
In just four seasons Coach Smart has done just about everything that could be asked of a coach besides winning a national championship. With his long list of accolades, there were only two other coaches that Barrett Sallee ranked above Coach Smart in his list of 2020 SEC Coach rankings.
Sallee ranked all 14 coaches at the following spots:
- Nick Saban
- Ed Orgeron
- Kirby Smart
- Jimbo Fisher
- Dan Mullen
- Gus Malzahn
- Mark Stoops
- Mike Leach
- Lane Kiffin
- Jeremy Pruitt
- Will Muschamp
- Eliah Drinkwitz
- Derek Mason
- Sam Pittman
It is understandable as to why both Saban and Orgeron are ranked above Smart because they both have one thing that Kirby doesn't, a national championship. Being ranked 3rd when stacked up against the entire SEC is nothing to slouch about either, especially when one of the coaches ahead of you is Nick Saban.
Kirby Smart has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time and Georgia being his first head coaching gig only makes it even more impressive. The last time a coach in the SEC won their division three times or more consecutively was Saban from 2014-16 and the last time it happened in the East before Kirby was 1993-96 by Steve Spurrier.
At the level that Kirby recruits it is almost certain that Smart is bound to win the big one. The 2020 season should be an interesting one for Kirby and his staff as they will be dealing with quite a few losses on offense. Being able to replace players without missing a beat is key to consistently being one of the best teams in the nation. This upcoming season will be a strong test to see if Kirby is capable of doing so.
The only way Saban is getting dethroned from the top spot of the ranking is when he decides to retire. Until then coaches will be fighting for second place. If Coach Smart finds a way to win the national championship this next season he will without a doubt be deserving of that No. 2 spot in the coaches rankings.
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