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Paul Finebaum Names the Best Coach in College Football Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 8:00 PM ET

College football is home to many prominent coaches. However, only three have won a national championship: Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs and Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers.

Day won his championship last year, while Smart won in 2021 and 2022. Swinney secured his titles in 2016 and 2018. However, there are many other talented coaches who have not won a national championship, including Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers and Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Additionally, it's worth noting that Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion as a head coach, is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

While all these coaches are talented, only one can be considered the best in the sport. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst stated that title belongs to the coach who is based in Athens.

"In terms of Kirby Smart, I've been one of his biggest fans," Finebaum said. "Not that it's hard to be a fan of Kirby Smart, he's the best coach in college football."

Kirby Smart's Record at Georgia

Smart has excelled since returning to his alma mater, compiling an impressive record of 105-19 over his ten seasons in Athens. This includes eight seasons with 11 or more victories. Smart has also secured three SEC championships; his first championship in 2017 ended a drought that lasted more than a decade. Additionally, he won his first national title in 2021, which ended a drought of over four decades.

Before becoming Georgia's head coach in 2016, he spent nine seasons on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, eight of which were as the defensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide won four national championships with Smart at the helm of the defense.

Georgia's 2025 Season Outlook

Although Smart has experienced significant success, he has not been able to lead the Bulldogs back to the pinnacle of college football since 2022. In fact, they have not secured a win in the College Football Playoff since that year. In 2023, the Bulldogs aimed to become the first team to achieve a three-peat. They finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record, but were defeated by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, which eliminated them from playoff contention.

In 2024, Georgia won the SEC and earned the No. 2 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff. However, the Bulldogs were defeated 23-10 by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the quarterfinals. Now, Georgia aims to reclaim its top position, starting the season ranked No. 5 in the AP preseason poll. The Bulldogs have the fourth-best odds to win the national championship, trailing only the Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Smart and Georgia will start their quest for a national championship on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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