
Kirby Smart
Kirby Smart went 123–22 as a head coach, 2016–2026, at Georgia. His teams claim two national titles: Georgia in 2021 and 2022. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 6–0); by them his record is 123–21. Share
- Record
- 123–22 career
- Seasons
- 11
- Schools
- 1
- National titles
- 2 claimed: 2021 and 2022
- Born
- Dec 23, 1975
- Alma mater
- Georgia 1998
- Best season
- 2022 15–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Georgia | 8–5 | T–2nd | Liberty Bowl W | ||
| 2017 | Georgia | 13–2 | 1st | Rose Bowl, CFP Semifinal W; CFP National Championship L | 2 | |
| 2018 | Georgia | 11–3 | 1st | Sugar Bowl L | 8 | |
| 2019 | Georgia | 12–2 | 1st | Sugar Bowl W | 4 | |
| 2020 | Georgia | 8–2 | 2nd | Peach Bowl W | 7 | |
| 2021 | Georgia | 14–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl, CFP Semifinal W; CFP National Championship W | 1 | |
| 2022 | Georgia | 15–0 | 1st | Peach Bowl, CFP Semifinal W; CFP National Championship W | 1 | |
| 2023 | Georgia | 13–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 4 | |
| 2024 | Georgia | 11–3 | T–2nd | Sugar Bowl, CFP Quarterfinal L | 6 | |
| 2025 | Georgia | 12–2 | T–1st | Sugar Bowl, CFP Quarterfinal L | 6 | |
| 2026 | Georgia | 6–1 (Wikipedia: 6–0) |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Stetson Bennett
Jordan Davis
Brock Bowers
Roquan Smith
Deandre Baker
Nakobe Dean
Jalon Walker
Travon Walker
Andrew Thomas
Jalen Carter
Malaki Starks
J.R. Reed
Christopher SmithConsensus All‑American, 2022
C.J. AllenConsensus All‑American, 2025
Isaiah WynnNo. 23 pick, 2018
Sony MichelNo. 31 pick, 2018
Eric StokesNo. 29 pick, 2021
Isaiah WilsonNo. 29 pick, 2020
11 more
Devonte Wyatt (No. 28 pick, 2022); Quay Walker (No. 22 pick, 2022); Nolan Smith (No. 30 pick, 2023); Broderick Jones (No. 14 pick, 2023); Amarius Mims (No. 18 pick, 2024); Lewis Cine (No. 32 pick, 2022); Mykel Williams (No. 11 pick, 2025); Monroe Freeling (No. 19 pick, 2026); Rodrigo Blankenship (2019 Lou Groza Award); Ladd McConkey (2023 Wuerffel Trophy); Brett Thorson (2025 Ray Guy Award).
18 of the 29 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 61 | 43–18 | 70% |
| Against top-10 teams | 36 | 25–11 | 69% |
| Against rivals | 69 | 54–15 | 78% |
| Conference games | 86 | 73–13 | 85% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 13 | 9–4 | 69% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 38 | 26–12 | 68% |
| At home | 66 | 60–6 | 91% |
| On the road | 43 | 37–6 | 86% |
| At neutral sites | 36 | 26–10 | 72% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 126 | 114–12 | 90% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 19 | 9–10 | 47% |
His own 145 games on file, 2016–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Stoops 2016–2025 | 10–0 | Kentucky | 10 | |
| Gus Malzahn 2016–2020 | 5–1 | Auburn | 6 | |
| Nick Saban 2017–2023 | 1–5 | Alabama | 6 | |
| Josh Heupel 2021–2025 | 5–0 | Tennessee | 5 | |
| Dan Mullen 2017–2021 | 4–1 | Mississippi State, Florida | 5 | |
| Barry Odom 2016–2019 | 4–0 | Missouri | 4 | |
| Eli Drinkwitz 2020–2023 | 4–0 | Missouri | 4 | |
| Clark Lea 2021–2026 | 4–0 | Vanderbilt | 4 | |
| Brent Key 2022–2025 | 4–0 | Georgia Tech | 4 | |
| Derek Mason 2016–2019 | 3–1 | Vanderbilt | 4 |
Kirby Smart’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Auburnseries | 12 | 10–2 |
| Kentuckyseries | 10 | 10–0 |
| Tennesseeseries | 10 | 9–1 |
| Floridaseries | 10 | 8–2 |
| Alabamaseries | 10 | 3–7 |
| Georgia Techseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Missouriseries | 8 | 8–0 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 8 | 7–1 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2009 Alabama: Broyles Award
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2009 staff (defensive coordinator, secondary) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2011 staff (defensive coordinator, linebackers) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2012 staff (defensive coordinator, inside linebackers) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2015 staff (defensive coordinator, linebackers, part of the season) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Georgia’s 2021 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Georgia’s 2022 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
How he was hired
- Hired by Georgia for the 2016 season from Alabama, where he was defensive coordinator. He had a prior connection to the school.
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Georgia | Administrative assistant | |
| 2000 | Valdosta State | Defensive backs coach | |
| 2001 | Valdosta State | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2002–03 | Florida State | Graduate assistant | |
| 2004 | LSU | Defensive backs coach | |
| 2005 | Georgia | Running backs coach | |
| 2006 | Miami Dolphins NFL | Safeties coach | |
| 2007 | Alabama | Assistant head coach and defensive backs coach | |
| 2008–15 | Alabama | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2016–present | Georgia | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Jim DonnanGeorgia
- Bobby BowdenFlorida State
- Nick SabanLSU, Miami Dolphins, Alabama
- Mark RichtGeorgia
Assistants who became head coaches
- Brian VanGorderWayne State (MI), Georgia Southern
- Dell McGeeGeorgia Southern, Georgia State
- Jim ChaneyTennessee
- Mel TuckerColorado, Michigan State
- Sam PittmanArkansas, Hutchinson
- Shane BeamerSouth Carolina
- Dan LanningOregon
- Tyson SummersGeorgia Southern, Colorado State
- Shawn WatsonWofford, Southern Illinois
- Matt LukeOle Miss
- Todd MonkenSouthern Miss, Cleveland Browns
- Will MuschampFlorida, South Carolina
- and 5 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Donnan | Georgia | 1999 | Administrative assistant | |
| Bobby Bowden | Florida State | 2002–03 | Graduate assistant | |
| Nick Saban | LSU | 2004 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Mark Richt | Georgia | 2005 | Running backs coach | |
| Nick Saban | Miami Dolphins NFL | 2006 | Safeties coach | |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 2007–15 | 2007: assistant head coach and defensive backs coach; 2008–15: defensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (17)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian VanGorder | Georgia, 2016: defensive assistant | Wayne State (MI), Georgia Southern | |
| Dell McGee | Georgia, 2016–18: assistant head coach and running backs coach; 2019–23: running game coordinator and running backs coach | Georgia Southern, Georgia State | |
| Jim Chaney | Georgia, 2016–18: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Tennessee | |
| Mel Tucker | Georgia, 2016–18: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | Colorado, Michigan State | |
| Sam Pittman | Georgia, 2016–18: offensive line coach; 2019: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | Arkansas, Hutchinson | |
| Shane Beamer | Georgia, 2016–17: tight ends and special teams coach | South Carolina | |
| Dan Lanning | Georgia, 2018: outside linebackers coach; 2019–21: defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach | Oregon | |
| Tyson Summers | Georgia, 2018: defensive quality control coach | Georgia Southern, Colorado State | |
| Shawn Watson | Georgia, 2019: offensive quality control coach | Wofford, Southern Illinois | |
| Matt Luke | Georgia, 2020–21: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | Ole Miss | |
| Todd Monken | Georgia, 2020–22: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Southern Miss, Cleveland Browns | |
| Will Muschamp | Georgia, 2021: special teams coordinator; 2022–23: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach; 2024–25: defensive analyst | Florida, South Carolina | |
| Bryan McClendon | Georgia, 2022–23: pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach | Georgia, Oregon | |
| Fran Brown | Georgia, 2022–23: defensive backs coach | Syracuse | |
| Mike Bobo | Georgia, 2022: offensive analyst; 2023–26: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Colorado State, South Carolina | |
| Darrell Dickey | Georgia, 2023: offensive assistant | North Texas, Memphis | |
| Donte Williams | Georgia, 2024–26: defensive backs coach | USC |
Other assistants under him (14)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Schumann | Georgia, 2016–18: inside linebackers coach; 2019–23: co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach; 2024–26: defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | |
| James Coley | Georgia, 2016–17, 2024–26: wide receivers coach; 2018: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2019: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Kevin Sherrer | Georgia, 2016–17: outside linebackers coach | |
| Will Windham | Georgia, 2016–17: defensive quality control coach | |
| Jay Johnson | Georgia, 2017–18: offensive quality control coach | |
| Cortez Hankton | Georgia, 2018: wide receivers coach; 2019–21: pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Austin Armstrong | Georgia, 2019: quality control coach | |
| Charlton Warren | Georgia, 2019–20: defensive backs coach | |
| Buster Faulkner | Georgia, 2020–22: quality control coach and quarterbacks coach | |
| John Jancek | Georgia, 2020–21: defensive quality control coach | |
| Jahmile Addae | Georgia, 2021: defensive backs coach | |
| Brandon Streeter | Georgia, 2023–25: offensive assistant; 2026: quarterbacks coach | |
| Andrew Thacker | Georgia, 2024: defensive analyst; 2025–26: nickels and stars | |
| Travaris Robinson | Georgia, 2024–26: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | State payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Georgia | head coach | $13,803,000 | ||
| 2023 | Georgia | head coach | $12,200,941 | ||
| 2022 | Georgia | head coach | $13,253,751 | ||
| 2021 | Georgia | head coach | $7,955,000 | ||
| 2020 | Georgia | head coach | $6,900,000 | ||
| 2019 | Georgia | head coach | $500,025 | ||
| 2018 | Georgia | head coach | $500,000 | ||
| 2017 | Georgia | head coachbonuses up to $1,800,000; $75,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $10,800,000 | $3,753,600 USA Today | $6,425,000 | |
| 2016 | Georgia | head coachbonuses up to $1,800,000 | $3,753,600 USA Today | $400,000 | |
| 2015 | Alabama | defensive coordinatorbonuses up to $250,000 | $1,501,500 USA Today | ||
| 2014 | Alabama | defensive coordinatorbonuses up to $250,000 | $1,355,850 USA Today |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
Open Georgia (State of Georgia, unaudited): salary paid in the fiscal year from July to June, shown against the season inside it.
Contract pay and the state payroll differ by design: one is the season’s contract, the other what the state paid in a calendar or fiscal year, so a December hire’s short first year, bonuses and camp money paid as special payments, and pay that ran on after he left all show in the payroll.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Smart’s teams went for it on 17% of fourth downs and on 30% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 46% of plays and took 28.0 seconds a play, 2016–2026.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 13 g | 13 of 103 13% | 22% | 45% | 27.9 | 0.00 | |
| 2017 15 g | 12 of 94 13% | 15% | 34% | 29.3 | +0.13 | |
| 2018 14 g | 13 of 76 17% | 26% | 41% | 28.0 | +0.22 | |
| 2019 14 g | 10 of 103 10% | 13% | 46% | 27.9 | +0.07 | |
| 2020 10 g | 13 of 66 20% | 41% | 48% | 25.9 | +0.07 | |
| 2021 15 g | 14 of 87 16% | 24% | 45% | 28.1 | +0.13 | |
| 2022 15 g | 16 of 82 20% | 35% | 49% | 28.1 | +0.24 | |
| 2023 14 g | 11 of 67 16% | 43% | 50% | 28.4 | +0.26 | |
| 2024 14 g | 27 of 94 29% | 47% | 57% | 26.5 | +0.11 | |
| 2025 14 g | 21 of 89 24% | 52% | 44% | 28.1 | +0.12 | |
| 2026 7 g | 3 of 31 10% | 9% | 49% | 29.3 | +0.22 | |
| All 145 g | 153 of 892 17% | 30% | 46% | 28.0 | +0.14 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.