Kirby Smart is gearing up for his 11th season at the helm of the Georgia Bulldogs, a tenure that has already yielded four Southeastern Conference titles and back‑to‑back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
A Dynasty at a Crossroads
Despite capturing the last two SEC championship games, the Bulldogs have been excluded from the College Football Playoff title match, a snub that has only sharpened Smart’s resolve.
Smart’s philosophy centers on physicality and selflessness, traits he says mirror the culture of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team he and his staff have studied closely as a model for sustained excellence.
The coach has repeatedly cited Nick Saban as a mentor, describing him as “the greatest college football coach in the history of all of college football,” and has adopted Saban’s language of “consistency of performance” and “process.”
Up next, Georgia will travel to Fayetteville to face Arkansas on September 19, then meet Florida in Atlanta — a matchup that marks the first meeting between the rivals outside Jacksonville since 1995.
Linebacker Raylen Wilson has highlighted the Thunder’s emphasis on effort and unselfish play, underscoring how Smart’s staff draws concrete lessons from that NBA franchise.
Smart now stands as one of the most vocal advocates for the SEC’s place in the playoff conversation, hoping to end the Big Ten’s three‑year reign as the sole source of national champions.