Kirby Smart has been the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs for less than a decade and has already secured two National Championships and three SEC titles. He has won nearly 85 percent of his games with the Dawgs and has led them to four College Football Playoff appearances.
Apparently, that isn't good enough to be on the podium of best head coaching hires since the turn of the century.
In a recent ranking of the 25 best college football coaching hires since 2000, CBS Sports ranked Smart fifth in the nation, trailing the likes of Pete Carroll, Dabo Swinney, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban.
Let's be honest and admit that there is no denying Saban was the best coaching hire of all time, no matter the sport or the century. And yes, Swinney has done an incredible job with the Clemson Tigers, winning two national titles and nine ACC Championships.
However, arguing that Meyer and Carroll rank above Smart? Absurd.
How does Kirby Smart compare to Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer?
Yes, Meyer won two National Championships with the Florida Gators, but he only won two SEC titles over five years and then abandoned ship for a job with the Ohio State Buckeyes and eventually a stint at the next level with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Similarly, Caroll abandoned the USC Trojans after eight years for a job in the NFL. Sure, he won two national titles and was able to secure seven Pac-10 Championships, but that was far before teams like Oregon and Washington became legitimate contenders at the national (or even conference) level.
Not to mention, Carroll won just 83.6 percent of his games with the Trojans. Meyer? he only won 81.25 percent of his games with the Gators.
To put it lightly, Smart has an argument to be the No. 2 coach of the century after doing a much better job than Swinney at adapting to and navigating through the ever-changing world of college football. To put it a little less lightly, leaving him out of the top three was a failure on the part of CBS Sports.