Following the retirement of Nick Saban and NFL departure from Jim Harbaugh, the coaching overhaul in college football has left questions as to who will step up and replace such prominent voices. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart’s résumé would make him a clear favorite, a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Bill Connelly in his recent rankings of the “30 coaches who will define the next decade of college football” (ESPN+ subscription required to access).
Smart was placed atop the rankings, in the tier of “Successful head coaches with plenty of tread left on the tires”. Connelly cites Smart’s success in relation to other former Saban assistants, as well as the fact that he has not lost to a non-Saban coached team since 2020. His two national titles are tied for the lead among active coaches and Georgia’s relentless recruiting makes it all the more likely that Kirby Smart will stay ranked No. 1. “He’s the top dawg in this sport”, writes Connelly.
Smart’s coaching tree also has a presence on the list, with Oregon head coach and former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning ranking No. 7 overall and current defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann ranking at the top among assistant coaches.