Tag: uga head coach

247Sports ranks top-25 CFB coaches: Where is Georgia’s Kirby Smart?

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was ranked 4th in 247Sports’ list of the top-25 coaches in college football.

On Thursday, Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his list of the top-25 coaches in college football.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart checked in at No. 4.

Crawford’s top-five was as follows:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama

2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

3. Ed Orgeron, LSU

4. Kirby Smart, Georgia

5. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

Smart was named the Bulldogs coach in 2015 after serving as Alabama defensive coordinator under Nick Saban for eight years.

Smart has led his alma mater to a 44-12 record over four years as the Bulldogs head coach and has boasted three consecutive No. 1 ranked recruiting classes.

There is no question that Smart has built a powerhouse at Georgia. He recruits at an elite level and has one of the best defensive minds in all of college football.

So, what separates Smart from Saban, Swinney and Orgeron?

A national championship.

Smart has led Georgia to three consecutive SEC East titles, an SEC Championship title, a College Football Playoff victory and a National Championship bid, but a couple of close losses to Bama have held the Bulldogs from the top of college football.

Jan 1, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart holds the Rose Bowl trophy — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

However, Smart will have another shot at a title in 2020 and it may be with the most talented team he has had in his time at Georgia.

The Bulldogs return many of the starters from the 2019 record-breaking defense and have a new air-raid offensive system behind the arm of Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

A few other notable names on the list:

#8 – Florida head coach Dan Mullen

#9 – Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher

#13 – Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn

#15 – Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops

#21 – Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt

Georgia football HC Kirby Smart on how COVID-19 has hindered recruiting

NBC’s Mike Tirico spoke with Georgia football HC Kirby Smart on the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on recruiting.

Mike Tirico of NBC Sports spoke with Kirby Smart on Thursday afternoon about how recruiting tactics have changed and what he and the Bulldogs staff are doing to stay on top of things during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Our ability to gather information on a kid comes from, number one, going to his high school and talking to the people who have been around him,” Smart said. “We rely heavily on that information.”

“The next thing, at a place like Georgia, you rely on camp information. When a kid comes to camp – how does he work? Does he work? Does he want to workout? Is he competitive? What are his skill sets?” – Smart continued. “When you take away the opportunity to have camps this summer and be able to recruit face-to-face, you put a lot of doubt in a lot of peoples heads.”

The NCAA extended its dead-period last week from April 15 to May 31 in the midst of shelter-in-pace orders across the country.

The dead-period keeps coaches from face-to-face meetings with recruits which includes off-season recruiting camps that programs like Georgia have come to rely on.

Although coaches may not meet recruits in person, they are still allowed to keep in touch through calls, texts and video chats.

“Kind of like the NFL does, we have to go back to old school and call people, get on virtually and find out if a kid is committed to the time he said,” Smart added. “A lot of these GMs now, they’re calling kids and they’re saying, ‘alright, is he going to be on time for the Facetime, is he driving a car? What is he doing?’ Well, we’re doing the same thing with a high school kid. If he is committed to the process and jumping on Zoom at the right time, he’s probably gonna be the right kinda kid to be on your team”