Kirby Smart Named SEC Coach of the Year

Kirby Smart named SEC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Georgia's Kirby Smart has been named the SEC Coach of the Year. The news comes as the SEC releases their yearly awards, as voted on by the conference's head coaches. 

From the SEC: [Smart] is the first coach since Nick Saban in 2008-09 to be named SEC Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.

Many expected the award to go to Tennessee's Josh Heupel - who led the Volunteers to a 10-2 season and the No. 1 ranking in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings - or LSU's Brian Kelly, but Georgia's 13-0 record and SEC Championship made just too good of a case.

2022 has certainly been historic for Smart. Just this season, he has; become the first coach in Georgia history to lead the program to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons; led Georgia to consecutive unbeaten regular seasons in the SEC (only the third team to do accomplish the feat); produced the nation's top scoring defense after losing five players in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Smart wasn't the only Bulldogs honored on Wednesday, as kicker Jack Podlesny was named the SEC Special Teams Player of they year.

Georgia now turns their attention to the College Football Playoffs, where they are the conference's lone representative for the first time (Alabama also made the CFP in 2017 & 2021). Awaiting Georgia is a Chick-Fil-A Bowl matchup with No. 4 Ohio State. 

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