Ranking every SEC football coach ahead of SEC Media Days: Where does Butch Jones stand?
Kirby Smart is the epitome of an unproven coach after one year at the helm who has done everything right up to that point.
This includes a decent first year to get to 8-5, retaining a lot of talent, and then securing a top 5 recruiting class.
The former Nick Saban assistant now enters this year being judged on his merits as a coach, not just as a recruiter.
Until then, though, he’s already done enough to be ahead of numerous coaches in the conference.
Smart was 8-5 in his first year with the Dawgs and very easily could have gone 11-2. Don’t forget that he suffered fluke losses to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Vanderbilt Commodores and saw his team give up a Hail Mary to lose to the Tennessee Vols.
Following that up with the No. 2 recruiting class in the SEC and the No. 3 recruiting class in the country combined with all the talent Mark Richt left him means he’s clearly done a good job getting the program into great shape.
Now, it’s just on him to start winning.
Smart is at a point with the program where you could really judge him on his second year. Other coaches do need a bit more time, but he has no reason not to have the Dawgs competing at a high level this year.
Because of everything else he’s done, he’s already a middle of the pack SEC coach. This year shows if he’s an elite coach or if he belongs back near the bottom.