Georgia football is extremely lucky to have Kirby Smart as its head coach. Smart arguably is the best coach in all of college football, and after Nick Saban retired from Alabama he is arguably the most accomplished head coach in the country now as well.
And so far this season, Smart has been at his very best as a head coach. Sure Georgia finished the regular season at 10-2 which is a step back from what UGA has grown used to in recent years, but they still were able to cap the season off with a 22-19 SEC Championship game victory in overtime over No. 2 Texas.
That SEC Championship win wasn't the only great win this season either as Georgia beat Texas earlier this season on the road. The Bulldogs also destroyed a talented Clemson team to start the season and also beat a top 10 Tennessee team as well. Even Georgia's 8OT victory against Georgia Tech stands out this season as well.
All of these accomplishments deserve to be celebrated, and that is exactly what happened as Smart was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. He joins Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Spencer Danielson (Boise State), Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Jeff Monken (Army) as the nine coaches to be named a finalist this season.
Coach Smart has been named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/Sp0tLXjBmV
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 10, 2024
How realistic is it for Smart to win this award?
It's pretty obvious that if the winner of this award was announced today that Smart would not win it. Lanning really stands out at Oregon after having the only undefeated season in the country. Indiana's Cignetti, Boise State's Danielson and Arizona State's Dillingham also stand out as great options this year as well.
But it is still possible for Smart to win this award.
Just imagine if Georgia is able to go on to win the College Football Playoff National Championship without starting QB Carson Beck. It is sounding more and more likely that Beck will be out for the season, so if Smart is able to lead Georgia to a national title with a backup QB then Smart may deserve this award more than anyone else.
But that is likely the only scenario where Smart wins this award this season. And while Smart likely doesn't care about this award much at all, winning it along with his third National Championship may just go down as the best coaching job of his career.