Before becoming one of the most successful coaches in college football, Georgia’s Kirby Smart made a name for himself on the field as a standout defensive back for the Bulldogs. With recent accolades placing him atop ESPN’s list of NCAA coaches for the 2025/26 season, this article looks back at Smart’s playing days—and how they helped shape his legendary coaching career.
Did Kirby Smart Play College Football? A Look Back at the Georgia Coach’s Playing Days
With ESPN recently releasing their rankings of the top coaches in NCAA Football going into the 2025/26 season, Georgia’s Smart topped the charts after being voted as the top coach in College Football by 11 out of 12 voters.
After winning back-to-back National Championships and claiming Georgia’s fifteenth SEC Title last year, the Bulldogs’ coach has certainly etched himself into the history of College Football, but his career goes further than just coaching.
What Position Did Kirby Smart Play In College?
While Smart is undeniably one of the greatest coaches the Georgia Bulldogs have ever had, he also spent three years in Georgia as a player, with a playing career that was almost as impressive as his coaching one.
As a Defensive Back, Smart, who is a Georgia native, was recruited from Bainbridge High School. Smart went on to become a First-Team All-SEC player, recording 13 interceptions for Georgia, the sixth most in the history of the school.
The Georgia Head Coach also utilises his playing days in his coaching career, with an affinity for coaching Defensive Backs due to the time he spent playing, according to CFB Analyst and Podcast Host Rusty Mansell.
“He’s a good dude, hell of a recruiter, intense, kids loved him, defensive backs love him at Georgia, that’s for sure,” Mansell claimed, with the Bulldogs having a defensive back drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft through Malaki Starks.
As a Senior, when he was named in the First-Team All-SEC lineup, Smart had a record high year when it came to interceptions, leading the SEC with 5 interceptions.
Alongside him in that year’s All-SEC lineup were some impressive names, including Kennoy Kennedy at the Defensive Back position, Tim Couch was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year that season, with Brandon Burlsworth being the most notable name on the team.
Ultimately, Smart went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft, being signed by the Colts as a Free Agent, before ultimately being cut from the roster, which ultimately led him down to path of coaching, returning to Georgia as an assistant to Head Coach Jim Donnan.
By the age of 28, the current Bulldogs Head Coach worked his way through the ranks, joining College Football icon Nick Saban at LSU as a Defensive Back’s coach, Smart’s playing days may not have made him an NFL Icon, but they did shape one of the most successful coaching careers in College Football history.
What Was Georgia Coach Kirby Smart Like As A Player? Kirby Smart’s Georgia Teammates Reveal.
Back in 2023, ESPN’s Alex Scarborough did a piece where he interviewed all of Smart’s teammates at Georgia to find out what he was like as a player, earning almost a dozen responses that showcased Smart’s talent.
“Let’s just speak plainly and dispense with all the faux — oh, he’s a heady player and tough over the middle and a good route-runner and a lunch-pail guy and a coach on the field and all that other garbage. He’s a white guy, so you wouldn’t think he would be that fast. But he was faster than people would’ve anticipated.” Explained former All-American and first-round NFL Pick Matt Stinchcomb.
“The way he was built, you had to be some type of athlete. … You better be good at something. And he returned punts, and I’m like, nobody just goes back there and returns punts unless you are pretty good at it.” Commented Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey.
KEEP READING: Kirby Smart Breaks Silence on the Decision That Could Change College Football’s Future
Smart was also a kick returner in the early years of his career. Returning 15 kickoffs for 332 yards as a freshman in 1995, finishing with the ninth highest in the SEC that season.
Ultimately, the most telling comment would come from Smart’s teammate Brandon Tolbert, who explained everything you needed to know about Smart and his legendary coaching career.
“I thought I knew a little bit about football, but you could tell Kirby really knew a whole lot.”
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