Kirby Smart Needs to Prove Georgia Is Still College Football’s Standard

Before Kirby Smart arrived in Athens, the Mark Richt era produced plenty of winning seasons, great players and memorable moments. But for me, it also produced years of frustration and heartbreak. Georgia always seemed capable of getting close, only to fall short when it mattered most.

Kirby Smart changed that.

He turned Georgia into one of the premier programs in college football. National championships, SEC championships, elite recruiting and a standard that few programs can match have completely changed what Georgia football is expected to be.

But that success is also why I believe Kirby Smart needs another great season in 2026.

This is not about suggesting that Smart is suddenly on the hot seat. That would be ridiculous. His accomplishments have earned him enormous respect, and he remains one of the most successful coaches in college football. The question is whether Georgia can once again look like the dominant program that made the rest of the country fear seeing the Bulldogs on the schedule.

Georgia Has Not Looked as Dominant Recently

The Bulldogs are still winning. That is important to acknowledge.

But winning and dominating are not always the same thing.

The Georgia football program set an incredibly high standard during its championship years. The Bulldogs looked deeper, tougher and more talented than almost everyone they faced. There was a feeling that if Georgia played its best football, the opponent simply did not have enough to keep up.

Over the last couple of seasons, that feeling has changed.

Georgia has remained among the nation’s best programs, but the Bulldogs have also followed consecutive SEC championships with College Football Playoff quarterfinal losses. Smart himself acknowledged before the 2026 season that Georgia needs to play better in its biggest moments. https://www.reuters.com/sports/sec-notebook-kirby-smart-wants-georgia-bigger-biggest-moments–flm-2026-07-21/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

That does not mean the dynasty is over. It does mean that another great season would be important.

Georgia cannot simply rely on what it accomplished in 2021 and 2022 forever. College football changes quickly. The transfer portal, NIL and expanded playoff have made it harder for programs to separate themselves from everyone else.

The Bulldogs need to remind college football that they are still capable of being the team everyone else is chasing.

I Still Love What Kirby Smart Has Done for Georgia

I want to make one thing very clear: this criticism comes from appreciation, not hatred.

Mark Richt broke my heart for years.

There were seasons when Georgia had the talent to compete for everything. There were exciting teams, great quarterbacks and NFL-caliber players. Yet there always seemed to be another painful loss, another missed opportunity or another season where Georgia came close without reaching the ultimate goal.

Kirby Smart changed the entire culture.

Georgia fans expect to compete for SEC championships and national championships. That expectation exists because of Smart.

In fact, Georgia’s consistency under Smart remains remarkable. The program went 61-6 from 2021 through the 2025 season.

That is why this conversation is even possible.

Nobody would have been demanding another elite season from Georgia years ago. Smart raised the standard so high that simply being “pretty good” no longer feels like enough.

But Where Is the Truly Elite Quarterback?

One of the biggest questions I have about the Kirby Smart era is the quarterback position.

Georgia has recruited an incredible amount of talent. Smart has signed dozens of five-star prospects during his time with the Bulldogs, and Georgia has been one of the country’s most successful recruiting programs. Yet the quarterback position remains strangely complicated.

The Bulldogs have signed three five-star quarterbacks under Smart: Jacob Eason, Justin Fields and Brock Vandagriff. All three eventually transferred, and Eason was the only one of the three to start a game for Georgia.

That is an incredible statistic.

How has one of the best recruiting programs in America, coached by one of college football’s best coaches, struggled to establish a long-term blue-chip quarterback pipeline?

And before anyone misunderstands my argument, this is not me saying Georgia has had bad quarterbacks.

The Bulldogs have absolutely had successful quarterbacks. Stetson Bennett became a Georgia legend and helped deliver two national championships. Other quarterbacks have won major games and led successful offenses.

But when I look at Georgia’s recruiting resources, and status as one of the biggest brands in college football, I still wonder why the program has not consistently landed and developed the kind of superstar, can’t-miss quarterback who defines an era.

That is especially important now.

Gunner Stockton enters the 2026 season as Georgia’s quarterback, and the Bulldogs clearly believe he can lead the program. Stockton was a highly regarded four-star recruit and is an experienced player, but even Smart has acknowledged areas where the offense and passing game need improvement heading into the season. https://www.ajc.com/sports/2026/08/kirby-smart-shoots-straight-on-georgia-football-qb-gunner-stocktons-fall-camp/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Maybe Stockton proves that Georgia does not need a five-star quarterback to compete for another national championship.

The 2026 Season Matters for Kirby Smart and Georgia Football

The pressure on Kirby Smart is different now.

He does not need to prove that he can win a national championship.

What he needs to prove is that the Georgia Bulldogs can continue evolving.

The championship teams of a few years ago cannot carry the program forever. The Bulldogs need to show that they can reload, develop new stars, solve the quarterback situation and once again become one of the most dominant teams in the country.

Georgia opens the 2026 season ranked No. 3, meaning expectations remain extremely high.

A strong year would remind everyone that Georgia’s recent championship run was not simply the result of one incredible collection of players. It would show that Kirby Smart has built something sustainable.

Their first game is against Tennessee State this Saturday 9/5 at 3:00 p.m. eastern.

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