Kirby Smart came from quite the coaching tree, learning under probably the greatest to ever coach college football, Nick Saban. Since taking the job with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2015, Smart has now built quite the coaching tree of his own with those that learned under him now finding their way on their own in the college football world and having a lot of success.
One coach in Smart's coaching tree in particular is finding his way in the college football world and doing something that has never been done at the school he is at. Fran Brown, the head coach at Syracuse, was on the defensive staff at Georgia after being hired in 2022, the same season Georgia beat TCU in the National Championship, and in 2023, he was named the No. 1 national recruiter by 247Sports.
In November of 2023, Brown was hired at Syracuse as their head coach, and since taking over the program, he has been doing things that have never been done at the program. Syracuse has never been a program to recruit many 5-star prospects, but in this recruiting cycle, they have already had one 5-star overall recruit with Calvin Russell committing just days ago and two four-star recruits according to 247Sports.
The Orange also has the No. 20 recruiting class for the 2026 recruiting cycle, again, something that has never happened in the program before, and it all started with Brown becoming the head football coach.
BREAKING: Five-Star WR Calvin Russell has Committed to Syracuse, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 6, 2025
The 6’5 200 WR chose the Orange over Michigan, Florida State, & Oregon
He’s the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Syracuse in the past 20 years
“FRAN BROWN!!!”https://t.co/CicMLyvwqr pic.twitter.com/P2QPwtqCKz
Kirby Smart's coaching tree is proof that he is among the great college football coaches
Kirby Smart has been the head coach at Georgia now for almost 10 years, and with the turnover in college coaching, he has sent many coaches out on their own, and they have not faltered. Saban was a great role model for Smart, and it is clear the Georgia head coach is taking after his former mentor.
Some great head coaches that have sprouted from Smart's coaching tree are Shane Beamer, who is currently with South Carolina, Dan Lanning, who is currently with the Oregon Ducks, and Sam Pittman, who is currently with Arkansas. All three of those coaches have found real success with their programs, along with Fran Brown at Syracuse.
It seems fair to say that once a coach learns under Smart, they have a real shot at being a great head coach in the future, and the longer Smart does what he does, the bigger his coaching tree will get.