16 Days for No. 16 - Kirby Smart's Quest for a Third National Title

With 16 days until Georgia tees off the 2024 season against the Clemson Tigers in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, it’s only right to take a look at the man who wore the number 16 jersey, Kirby Smart. Heading into year nine, he is now responsible for two national championships as the head coach of his alma mater. 

After an impressive start to his tenure, everyone in college football recognizes Smart’s greatness. How good historically has Smart been, though, and what may be on the horizon in 2024? 

Smart began his legacy at Georgia as a defensive back from 1995-1998, totaling 13 interceptions in his four-year career, tied for sixth-most in school history. 11 of those interceptions came in his final two seasons, six being in 1997, tied for ninth in the country, and five in 1998, leading the SEC. Smart was named to the First-Team All-SEC in 1998. 

After his playing days, his coaching career began soon after where he served as an administrative assistant, then as running backs coach at Georgia as he worked his way up the coaching ladder. Smart worked under Nick Saban at Alabama as a defensive coordinator from 2008-2015, before returning to Athens as the head coach of Georgia, hired after the 2015 season. 

Fast forward to 2024, and Smart has already amassed numerous wins and accolades, including back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. The 2021 championship was Georgia’s first in over 40 years, a momentous occasion for the program. The Bulldogs followed it up with a dominant 2022 campaign, solidifying their status as a powerhouse.

Smart is 94-16 through his first eight seasons, having passed Saban for most wins in SEC history through 100 games in September 2023. Before the loss in the SEC Championship, Georgia’s 29-game winning streak was the longest in SEC history. 

Looking ahead, Smart is on a mission to reclaim the sport’s top spot, seeking his third national title in four years. A third national championship would etch Smart’s name further in the history books, as only 15 previous coaches have ever won three. 

Despite a tough schedule, maybe the hardest in memory for Georgia, the team still has a regular-season undefeated streak to uphold. The Bulldogs haven’t dropped a regular season contest since Nov. 7, 2020, losing 44-28 to Florida. Nearly four calendar years later, the Bulldogs are looking for a fourth-straight 12-0 regular season finish. 

Already cemented as one of, if not the greatest coaches in Georgia history, Smart sits atop college football at the moment. Despite not defending a title to start 2024, it’s hard to argue there’s anyone better at the position in the sport. Even without a CFP appearance last season, Georgia is amid a college football dynasty, one that could potentially reach the levels in the coming seasons of what college football fans came to expect from Alabama under Saban. 

It won’t be an easy road, but there’s simply nobody better equipped for a schedule like Georgia’s in 2024.