Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart had an impressive 2024. With the hardest schedule in the FBS, according to the strength of schedule from ESPN, Smart led Georgia to a 10-2 record, including three wins against top-10 teams (Tennessee and Texas). He beat Texas a second time in the SEC championship, earning Georgia a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.
As a result, Smart is a finalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year award. Along with Smart, this year’s finalists include Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Spencer Danielson (Boise State), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Dan Lanning (Oregon), James Franklin (Penn State) and Steve Sarkisian (Texas). All of these coaches led their respective teams to the playoffs.
Smart will coach against Freeman in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day at 8:45 p.m. ET. Later on, he could coach against Danielson or Franklin on the way to the championship, and if Georgia makes the national championship, he’d match up against either Dillingham, Sarkisian (for the third time), or former Georgia assistant Dan Lanning.
Safe to say, the playoffs will have major impact on how people view this prestigious coaching award. Smart most recently won the award in 2017, when he led the Bulldogs to the national championship.