Kirby Smart rises to No. 1 spot in list of top college football coaches: ‘Trophies don’t play favorites’

On3’s JD PicKell recently revealed who he believes are currently the top five head coaches in college football, and his choice for the top spot shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart‘s recent resume is hard to deny, leading his team in back-to-back national championships in the last two seasons and seeking a three-peat this upcoming year. And regardless of how you rank Smart, the hardware doesn’t lie.

“The coach that’s the best in college football right now for my money, that’s Kirby Smart,” PicKell said. “Here’s the deal with Kirby Smart, trophies don’t play favorites. Never have, never will. The last two seasons Kirby Smart 29-1, two national champions.”

And while at times the Bulldogs make it look easy against their competition, Smart and his squad have faced their fair share of adversity. From coaching turnover to extreme player turnover, Smart has always found a way to adapt and win through it all.

“They lost their defensive coordinator going into 2022, they lost 15 NFL Draft picks from that 2021 team, some pretty key pieces I would imagine from a national title team trying to run it back a second year,” PicKell said. “Also a lot of people on the outside looking in, myself included, questioning who you’ve got a quarterback, a former walk-on Stetson Bennett. ‘Yeah they won it that first year but I don’t know man, that defense really carried them.’ New cast of characters, same quarterback that a lot of people didn’t believe in, a lot of people told Kirby Smart not the right guy playing quarterback, new DC.”

Along with losing a record amount of players to the NFL Draft, the Bulldogs also lost 15 players to the transfer portal following their 2021-2022 title win. Smart added zero new additions through the portal the offseason, sticking with the talent on his roster to win a second national title in the 2022-2023 season in dominant fashion.

“15-0, run that back, SEC title, national title, Kirby Smart’s on top of the game right now. I don’t know how else you slice it, I think Kirby Smart is the best coach right now in college football and the record indicates as much,” PicKell said. “Should be noted, on his way to winning one of those national titles he beat Nick Saban, beat Nick Saban in the national title game in 2021. When it comes to recruiting, it’s against his moral compass to recruit outside the top three or so it would seem, currently the top class of 2024.”

Saban ranked No. 2 on PicKell’s top five list right behind Smart, as the former Alabama assistant has now built his own formidable power in Athens that’s become the new cream of the crop in college football.

“Kirby Smart has got the game in a squeeze, I don’t know how else to put it,” PicKell concluded.