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Tennessee football: Ranking head coaches on Vols’ 2022 schedule

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 13, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart (left) and Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel (right) meet at midfield after the game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart (left) and Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel (right) meet at midfield after the game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 10, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2022 CFP college football national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2022 CFP college football national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 2. 814. Georgia Bulldogs. 7th season. Kirby Smart. player

66-15

Last year, we had Dan Mullen ahead of Kirby Smart despite having not won an SEC or national championship. That was due to Mullen leading Florida to the SEC title game the year before, and the success he had enjoyed with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which is like Mark Stoops’ success at Kentucky. We just couldn’t ignore that.

Well, even if Mullen were still in the program this year, Smart would be ahead of him. Winning national championships count, and despite it being in different years, Smart has now led the Georgia Bulldogs to an SEC Championship and a national championship over his six seasons there.

Since that Hail Mary 2016 game, he has also dominated Tennessee football, never winning any game by fewer than 23 points. Smart has recruited at as high of a level as any coach, and the Vols have the misfortune of not only having to play him every year but having to deal with him locking off one of their key pipeline states.

This year, UT is a popular pick to upset Georgia, and given the talent that the Dawgs lost, a drop-off is expected, but this team is still loaded top to bottom. If we’re ranking SEC coaches, Smart and Jimbo Fisher are No. 2 and No. 3, and you can slice it either way, but he’s right there near that top level now. Tennessee football will have a brutal road facing him in November.

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