Kirby Smart's profile summary Full name: Kirby Paul Smart Nickname: Kirby Smart Gender: Male The Bulldogs victory over the Crimson Tide gave Georgia its third claimed national title in program history and first in 41 years. After that, the Bulldogs were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl, where they lost 28-21 to the Texas Longhorns team. He made his coaching debut for the University of Georgia in 1999. I seemed intent on making it as difficult for myself as possible to pursue my male career goal. After four seasons and 40 victories, Napier left Lafayette to take over as the new head coach of the Florida Gators. With this victory, Smart became the first of Saban's former assistants at Alabama and just the second overall to defeat Saban (Jimbo Fisher, a former assistant at LSU and the head coach at Texas A&M, was the first after his unranked Aggies team upset the Crimson Tide earlier in the season). Kirby Smart College Coaching Records, Awards and Leaderboards | College Football at Sports-Reference.com Kirby Smart Career Record: 7 Years, 81-15, .844 Win% (at major schools) Bowl Record: 10 Games, 8-2, .800 Win% (at major schools) As Player: 1995-1998 ( Full Stats ) College Football Coaches Kirby Smart Overview More Other SR Sites *The Kirby Smart hot seat conversation is relevant when THS is 70 and under, Kirby Smart Hired as Georgia Head Coach on 12/6/15, Mark Richt Fired from Georgia on 11/29/15. Ohio State ended things on a high note by outlasting Utah in the Rose Bowl to give the Big Ten squad an 11-2 record once the season was said and done. And they won. [3] Smart began his playing career at Bainbridge High School and went on to play college football at the University of Georgia, where he was teammates with defensive linemen Antonio Cochran, Emarlos Leroy, linebacker Brandon Tolbert, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey, and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward. Heres a look at some photos of Smart as a Georgia player. Another Saban disciple on the list, Billy Napier is one of two coaches on this list who will be entering Year 1 at a new school this fall. Meyer retired after the 2018 season, at which time Day was promoted to head coach. On February 27, 2008, Smart was promoted to the team's defensive coordinator. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Kirby Smart is probably best-known for being the head coach of the University of Georgia's football team.. [2] The couple has three children. And then Coach Bowden impacted me a lot. Ohio State was leading 38-27 and had a 4th-and-1 at their 34 with just under nine minutes left. When youre at that level thats what those guys do. It matters. Smart was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia. So Ive got a connection now to Nick through Will. Before that, he had even been on Saban's staffs at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.In many ways, Kirby Smart has modeled his program after Nick Saban and Alabama.They recruit the same players, invest similarly, and look to be physically dominant. These men. During the 2017 season, the coach led the team to their first 9-0 start since 1982. How much is Kirby Smart's salary? And I do it for them because I want them to be successful. He is an American football coach and retired player. In July 2022, Smart and Georgia agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth $112.5 million, making him the highest-paid coach in college football. Smart was a four-year letterman at defensive back for Georgia and a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior. What happened to Ross Bagley? Dean confirmed as much, Smart quickly responded. He then moved on to play defensive back for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was . Kirby Smart isn't just a football coach, he's a father of three children as well. Napier left Clemson after the 2010 season and spent 2011 as an analyst at Alabama before following Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain to Colorado State in 2012. ATHENS It was the first job interview of Kirby Smarts coaching career, and it was going great. It's very rare that Georgia and Alabama are the . Is Coach Philip Montgomery on the Hot Seat? About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. We are constantly tweaking our formula so that we can find the sweet spot of when a coach is technically on the hot seat. REPORT: Jalen Carter set to Declare for NFL Draft, Final: Georgia Blasts TCU: Claims Back-to-Back Titles, BREAKING: Stetson Bennett Sets New Single Season Passing Yards Record. Traylor got off to a great start in San Antonio with a 7-5 debut in 2020, which saw the Roadrunners play in only their second bowl game in program history. Jonathan Williams Oct 16, 2022 3:22 PM EDT Georgia is now 7-0 for the third time in. Clemson won 14 games and played for the national title again in 2019, though this time LSU got the last laugh. Riley followed Texas Tech assistant Ruffin McNeill to East Carolina in 2010 and served as the Pirates offensive coordinator for five seasons. Smart bided his time in Tuscaloosa before returning to his alma mater prior to the 2016 season. Well, they say success leaves clues, and after four years of observations on Kirby Smart, I think I've learned a few things about the man. And he meant a lot to me as a coach, Smart said. What you have success with, you feel comfortable with, you always rely on that a little bit. 1 OLB. TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said it best this week, "We work in an industry where if you give us coaches the option to work, we are going to work." American football player and coach (born 1975) Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push(); Coach Jason Garrett Coaching Tree & Rating, Mario Cristobals Coaching Tree and History, Geoff Collinss Coaching Tree and History, Coach Robert Saleh Coaching Tree & Rating, Jeremy Pruitts Coaching Tree and History, Will Muschamps Coaching Tree and History. He earned four letters as a defensive back and ranks fourth on the all-time list with 13 career interceptions. You never want to be ripe, Smart said. 7 Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, 2614. In the National Championship game, Georgia would beat TCU 65-7, making Kirby Smart a back-to-back national championship-winning coach, the first one since Nick Saban did so with Alabama in 2011 and 2012. Its no secret now that Kirby Smart is returning to his Alma Mater to coach the Bulldogs in 2016. Smart has accrued a 66-15 record in six seasons as Georgia head coach. On 2nd December 2017, he coached the Georgina team to its first SEC title since 2005. He is the first Alabama assistant coach to win the award. When you bring new coaches in, youre able to gain things from them, maybe how they do things or you go to other schools and you study how they do things, Smart explained. He began his coaching career in 1999 with the University of Georgia, serving as an administrative assistant. Who are the best Georgia Football Coaches of all time? A safety at Georgia from 1995-98, Smart began his. In just his second season at Georgia in 2017, Smart led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship win, Rose Bowl win and a. Alabama is going for its seventh college football championship under Nick Saban against the favored Georgia Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart in Indianapolis tomorrow night, . Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. On 27th February 2008, he attained the promotion to defensive coach. Saban gave college coaching another try in 1995 by taking over at Michigan State, where he went 34-24-1 over the course of five seasons. He is the current head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, his alma mater. We handed out the hamburgers with lunch for camp, Muschamp, now South Carolinas head coach, said in an interview this week. Hell do a great job at Georgia., Report: Surprising details emerge from Stetson Bennett arrest in , Kirby Smart issues official statement following Jalen Carter arrest , Athens-Clarke County Police Department issues arrest warrant for , Georgia star Jalen Carter statement: plans to be fully exonerated of , Nolan Smith shares why hes glad he didnt transfer out of Georgia: . Read the article to learn more about him. Kirby Smarts story is one Georgia fans know well at this point. And I was with Coach Saban the longest, Smart said. $9 Million. [5], Smart began his coaching career with the University of Georgia in 1999, serving as an administrative assistant. That proved to be one of the lasting legacies of the Valdosta experience for Smart. Kirby Smart. He followed Colonels head coach Danny Hope to Purdue in 2009 and stayed on staff as offensive line coach for four seasons before coaching in the same role at Kent State from 2013-2015. Kirby Smart's contract made him one of the wealthiest coaches earning a base salary of $500,000 over seven years. Previously, his base was $400,000. Dawgs247 has ranked the top 10 current college head coaches based on their overall winning percentage. During that run, Alabama captured four national championships, which cemented Sabans status as one of the sports all-time greats and Smarts status as one of the nations top assistant coaches. One of the few head coaches who did was, Riley spent one more season as the Sooners offensive coordinator when longtime head coach, Oklahoma was the model of consistency under Riley, as the Sooners had only two losses in each of his five seasons at the helm. When Georgia is in Jacksonville, Florida to play the Gators, and Todd Hartley drives to Valdosta, Georgia to see commits Ny Carr and Landen Thomas play that matters. Traylor got his coaching start as a high school coach in Texas before becoming the special teams/tight ends coach at Texas under Charlie Strong in 2015. He was a student assistant for the Red Raiders for three years before becoming a graduate assistant then being elevated to wide receivers coach. He finished his career with 13 interceptions, a mark that still ranks sixth in UGA annals, and paced the Bulldogs with six interceptions in . During her senior year, she was named Miss Georgia Basketball. Fisher left Florida State after eight seasons to take the same position at Texas A&M prior to the 2018 campaign. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? I stay at Valdosta State the second year, and I get Wills defensive coordinators job, Smart said to Fortune magazine in 2012. What did Kirby Smart do at Alabama? Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend the National Championship game for health reasons, but hes clearly made an impact on Smart that hell carry with him into the game Monday. And when youre ripe, youre ripe. Napier spent one season out west before being tabbed as the new head coach at UL-Lafayette prior to the 2018 campaign. Do you have a sports website? And now you cant stop learning. How the YouTuber became a must-watch boxer. Does Kirby Smart have children? Clemson managed a 10-1 start to 2020 and qualified for the playoff once again, this time losing to Ohio State in the semifinals. In a relatively short amount of time. On December 8, 2009, Smart was awarded the Broyles Award for the nation's best assistant coach. But I did know one thing: Working with (Smart) you knew wherever he went he was going to be successful, because hes just a good football coach and a good person.. I was in charge of the financial aid. Smart came to Georgia from Alabama where he was the Tides defensive coordinator. Net Worth 2020. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (R) learned a lot from Alabama's Nick Saban, but he was on a path for coaching success well before he worked for him. He stayed on staff with the Broncos for 10 years working his way up to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach before leaving to join Mack Browns staff with the Texas Longhorns. And I tell my wife -- I texted her last night before the game, I said, I was like I feel like I haven't been as good a husband and father as I can be because I spend so much time doing this. Approx. Kirby Paul Smart was born the son of a high school football coach Sonny Smart and his wife Sharon Smart. In 2019, Georgia had a regular-season record of 111 and won the SEC East for the third consecutive season, but lost to LSU in the SEC Championship game, 3710. That's all that matters.". So, how did we get here? 1 recruiting class in the country this offseason. It starts with my family. And these men because there's not one thing I wouldn't do for these men. Smart got the job anyway, as the secondary coach for the Division II program, with Muschamp the defensive coordinator, and you know the rest. Whatever Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart accomplishes or fails to. 1 dual-threat QB, No. Smart began his coaching career with the University of Georgia in 1999, serving as an administrative assistant. Contents. In 2002 he joined Florida State University working under Bobby Bowden as a graduate assistant while undertaking his master's degree. Clark returned to his alma mater as co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach in 2016 and remained in that role after head coach Scott Satterfield left for Louisville after the 2018 season. How else does the 4th & 2 timeout against Ohio State with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter? He followed Colonels head coach, Clark returned to his alma mater as co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach in 2016 and remained in that role after head coach. When youre in Division II and even FCS to a certain degree you wear a bunch of different hats. Smarts coaching career began at Georgia as an administrative assistant under Jim Donnan in 1999. A product of Bainbridge, Georgia deep down in Southwest, Georgia, Smart's story arch was . As head coach, he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back National Championship victories in 2022 and 2023 . As Smart prepares his team for their title defense, he reflected on some other coaches who have impacted his career, starting with his first. Kirby Smart has taken college football by storm during his young career. Harsin spent two seasons in Austin before replacing Gus Malzahn as the head coach at Arkansas State. Georgia coach issues statement on Jalen Carter arrest warrant originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. Smart followed Saban to Alabama after coaching with him with the Miami Dolphins. However, he was beaten by his former boss, Nick Saban, and his former team, Alabama, in the College Football Playoff final. Title: Head Coach. Is Kirby Smart married? Smart began his coaching career with the University of Georgia in 1999, serving one season as an administrative assistant. ~ Kirby Smart. As head coach, he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back National Championship victories in 2022 and 2023. Kirby Smart earns an average annual salary of around $7 million. I overheard the competing coach say to the UGA coach, "Man, this is the first time I've been out all season." 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