Georgia's All-Kirby Smart Era Team: Running Back

We’re entering year eight of the Kirby Smart era in Athens. The Georgia football coach has more than established himself as one of the best, if not THE best, in College Football by turning around a program that had gone stagnant and is now at the top of the sport with the Bulldogs having won back-to-back titles.

Seven full seasons at the helm means a lot of things. Smart’s first full class has come and gone. While the “COVID-year” delayed it a bit, that happened this past season with the departure of Robert Beal – and of course walk-on Stetson Bennett. So, it’s time that we start discussing the All-Smart Era Team.

Our rules are simple. They only require the player to have spent one season playing for Smart so seniors on the 2016 team are eligible. Other than that, they must have finished their career at Georgia or be suiting up for the Bulldogs this fall.

We looked at quarterback yesterday. Now, it’s time for the running backs.

Nick Chubb (2014-2017)

Nick Chubb made a name for himself before Kirby Smart’s time at Georgia, but there’s no doubt that Chubb played a big part in the Smart-era too. He earned SEC Freshman of the Year working alongside, and in place of at times, Todd Gurley in 2014. Rushing for 1,547 yards (tied for fourth most in a single season in school history) and 14 touchdowns, Chubb was named to the All-SEC First Team as a freshman by both the AP and Coaches. Chubb capped the season off with a career-high 288 yards in a Belk Bowl win over Louisville.

His sophomore season got off to a great start. Rushing for 146 yards against Alabama, Chubb tied the school record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games. However, on the first play from scrimmage against Tennessee, Chubb suffered a season-ending torn knee injury that many believed would set him back for good. He didn’t let that happen though.

Coming back in 2016, Smart’s first season as head coach, Chubb played in all 13 games. He opened the season and made his return from injury with 222 yards on 32 carries against North Carolina. Chubb suffered a sprained ankle a couple of weeks later against Ole Miss and was largely limited the next week, however, he came back with his 15th career 100-yard rushing game to help Georgia win on the road at South Carolina. Finishing the season with 1,130 yards on 224 carries, Chubb once again led the Bulldogs in rushing – surpassing Gurley for second place in school history while also moving into second place in SEC history, both behind Herschel Walker.

Chubb made the somewhat surprising decision to return for his senior season, and you could make the case that in doing so, he’s helped change the trajectory of Georgia Football under Kirby Smart. Chubb was a permanent team captain for the 2017 team that won the SEC Championship and made an appearance in the College Football Playoffs. He rushed for over 100 yards six times to give him 24 on his career while reaching 1,000 yards on the season for the third time in his career. That once again put him in the category of Walker, the only other Georgia player to record a trio of 1,000-yard seasons.

D’Andre Swift (2017-2019)

Chubb was an easy pick. No doubter as an all-time great Dawg that played under Kirby Smart. The second running back for the first team though had a little bit more competition for the spot. Sony Michel, Chubb’s actual running mate, would make a good one. We saw how that played out in 2017. However, D’Andre Swift gets the nod because of what he was able to do when he was the lead back for the Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019.

Swift played a backseat role as a freshman to both Chubb and Michel. Still, he did enough to garner recognition. The Philadelphia, Penn. native played in all 15 games and earned Freshman All-SEC honors from the league’s 14 coaches, finishing with 618 yards rushing and 153 receiving on 17 catches – good for fourth on the team. Twice was he the team’s leading rusher including in the SEC Championship Game when he took an early fourth quarter carry 64 yards to put the Tigers at a distance.

With Chubb and Michel gone, Swift took center stage. He rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns on 163 carries, all team-highs. Alongside Elijah Holyfield, the foursome of Chubb, Michel, Swift and Holyfield helped Georgia become the first program in College Football history to have four different 1,000-yard rushers in a two year span. For Swift, the season included a career-high 186 rushing yards against Auburn to cap off three straight games over the 100-yard mark. He did so again against Georgia Tech just two weeks later before totaling 138 yards rushing and receiving combined in the SEC Championship Game.

Then, Swift did it once again in 2019. With 1,218 yards on 196 carries, Swift became just the fifth Bulldog to record multiple 1,000-yard seasons. That year he was named a permanent team captain and included on the All-SEC First Team by the coaches and Second-Team by the media. For a second straight season, he ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns against Kentucky, one of five 100-yard games he had in 2019. Swift would finish his career with 2,885 yards – good for seventh on UGA’s all-time list in just three seasons.

Second Team: Sony Michel (2014-2017), James Cook (2018-2021)