USA Today has dropped its list of the 25 most powerful people in college football heading into the 2025 season, and two very familiar names to Georgia football fans made the list.
Kirby Smart was one of only two active head coaches on the list, while SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is considered the most influential man in all of college football.
Kirby Smart included in most powerful figures in college football
According to this data, Smart comes in as the No. 24 most influential person in all of college football. While No. 24 may seem low to Georgia fans initially, considering that he is one of only two head coaches (Deion Sanders is the other) on this list, it is high praise for the fiery Dawg leader.
Smart has the highest winning percentage of any active coach along with his back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022, so it’s not shocking to see him make the cut.
On Smart, the multi-authored list said, "...the former Alabama defensive coordinator is winning at Saban-like levels and looks like he will be a mainstay competing for national titles. Served as co-chair for the NCAA Football Rules Committee and isn’t shy about voicing his take on issues of the day across the national landscape, like transfer portal windows."
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is considered the No. 1 most powerful man in college football
It just means more, right? It stands to reason that the man who is in charge of the most powerful conference in the country would be the most powerful person in the sport.
Georgia fans have a love-hate relationship with Sankey, but USA Today journalists point out, "Sankey blends the credibility he’s earned from a career working in college athletics with the respect he amassed from guiding college football throughout the pandemic season and the gravitas that accompanies leading a “Super Two” conference steeped with powerful brands to shape the sport in an unparalleled way.”
Other notable names on the list include President Donald Trump, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and ESPN personality Kirk Herbstreit.