Kirby Smart coaching tree: How ex-Georgia assistants have fared after leaving for head coaching opportunities

Georgia coach Kirby Smart may not be the most tenured college football boss, but he’s already establishing a dynasty — and a coaching tree — unmatched by most of his peers. In a relatively short eight years as a head coach, the former Bulldogs defensive back has already won two SEC titles and back-to-back national championships from 2021-22, a feat matched only by Nick Saban’s Alabama during the College Football Playoff era. 

Smart’s success, and Georgia’s consistency, can be largely attributed to his high hit rate with assistant coaches. Six former assistants have left for head coaching jobs elsewhere, five of which embarked on challenges at the power conference level. Two are still at schools in the SEC. 

It took Smart just three years to produce his first coach in the form of former Michigan State boss Mel Tucker. Since 2019, a Georgia assistant has been hired as a coach in every single athletic cycle except for 2023-24. Smart’s coaching tree extends coast to coast, from New York to Oregon and several stops in between. 

Smart usually works fast to replace those losses and tends to stick with a name he knows. Of the seven total assistants brought on to replace those lost to othert jobs, four have been internal promotions. The three external hires include a former coach in Matt Luke, who joined Georgia’s staff in 2020 to lead the offensive line after seven total years at Ole Miss. 

With Dell McGee, who was hired at Georgia State, becoming the latest entry, it felt appropriate to look back and track the branches that have already sprouted from Smart’s ever-growing coaching tree. 

Mel Tucker

Tucker served as defensive coordinator on Smart’s inaugural staff and stayed with the Bulldogs through 2018 before becoming the first assistant…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/kirby-smart-coaching-tree-how-ex-georgia-assistants-have-fared-after-leaving-for-head-coaching-opportunities/

Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-02-27 15:32:20

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