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USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Where Mark Richt, Kirby Smart rank among the 2000s top college football coaches
Where Mark Richt, Kirby Smart rank among the 2000s top college football coaches The Athletic released their top 25 coaches of the 21st century and the Georgia Bulldogs had two of their three coaches from the 21st century earn spots on the list. Georgia coaches have garnered 258 wins since 2000, the fifth most wins of any team in the nation behind Oklahoma, Boise State, Alabama and Ohio State. That's not to mention the amount of drafted players Georgia has had in the 21st century. Both of Georgia's highly-ranked coaches (Mark Richt and Kirby Smart) have ushered in eras of impressive growth and domination. Where Georgia Bulldogs coaches rank in The Athletic's top 25: Record: 145-51 Richt was hired by the Georgia Bulldogs after six stellar seasons as Florida State's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He took a Georgia team struggling to meet expectations and while he never made a national championship with Georgia, he raised the expectations tremendously. In 2007, the Bulldogs finished as the No. 2 team in the country, and in 2012, they were only five yards and potentially one play away from winning the SEC and going to the national championship. It's a shame he only coached with Georgia for two years of the College Football Playoff era. He also earned props for his time at Miami, coaching the Hurricanes to two top-20 finishes and the No. 2 ranking at one point in 2017. "The only thing holding Richt's resume back was never winning the Big One," said Chris Vannini of the Athletic. Accomplishments: Two SEC championships, eight top-10 finishes, four BCS/NY6 appearances, 18 bowl games No. 4: Kirby Smart (2016-present) Record: 109-19 It speaks to how good Kirby Smart is that the odds are in his favor to reach 100 wins in his tenure before reaching 20 losses. Kirby is the highest active coach on this list for good reason. In just eight years with Georgia, he transformed the team from perennial teases to championship contenders. He led Georgia to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, which is an unbelievable feat considering the history of Georgia Bulldogs football and Georgia sports in general. His biggest flaw as a coach was usually failing to win against his old team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and his old coach, Nick Saban. However, Smart got the best of Saban in the 2021 national championship, officially cementing him as one of the best coaches of not just the 21st century, but all time. Smart is ranked behind just Pete Carroll (No. 3), Urban Meyer (No. 2) and Nick Saban (No. 1).
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UGA athletics wants another concert in Sanford Stadium. Here are 8 acts that should play
The University of Georgia athletic department wants to bring another concert to Sanford Stadium like it did in 2013 when Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan headlined a country fling with 66,000 in attendance. At the time, Michael Adams was UGA president, Mark Richt was leading the football team and school administrators thought that would be the first of many concerts in the stadium for years to come. But it hasn't happened. Times have changed. There are now two national championship banners hanging in the stadium, and new musical acts are now options for the venue. But wouldn't it be cool if there was an older act coming back together for an historic reunion? Yes, yes it would. That's where we'll start for the eight acts that would be the best fits, should UGA and Sanford Stadium host a concert in 2026. Athens would lose its collective mind. The world might lose its collective mind. This is R.E.M.s town. Where it got its start. UGA athletic director Josh Brooks has long said his top choice would be the Athens legends. "Look, I'm going to keep saying it until they get sick of hearing it, I still want R.E.M.,' Brooks told the Banner-Herald's Marc Weiszer. 'I know Bertis (Downs, the band's lawyer) and Mike Mills are going to keep telling me no, but I will keep pestering Mike and Bertis and the crew over and over again.' The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band has shown signs of inspiration of late, the first real hope since calling it quits 14 years ago. R.E.M. reunited last June at the Songwriter's Hall of Fame to perform 'Losing My Religion,' one of the band's greatest hits. The four original members (Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry) hopped up on stage at the 40 Watt in February to play 'Pretty Persuasion' with Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy, who were performing R.E.M.'s 'Fables Of The Reconstruction." Fingers crossed. Widespread Panic packed downtown Athens in 1998 for the 'Panic in the Streets' concert in front of an estimated 100,000 people. The jam band has long had a huge following, and the Athens-based rockers would certainly put butts in the seats (at least until the music begins). It has been more than a decade since the Atlanta duo of Big Boi and Andre 3000 played their last show in 2014, but they'll be inducted into the Rock & Roll HOF this year, leading many to believe they'll perform together when inducted in Cleveland. Maybe they'll carry that momentum into Sanford Stadium for a home show in front of Georgians. Why not put together some of the biggest Georgia fans there are? The three Georgia natives always show support for the Bulldogs, wearing UGA gear or posting a 'Go Dawgs' on social media. Rhett's wife, Lauren Akins, is a huge Tennessee fan, so this would be a little bit of bragging rights for Rhett to say he played on Georgia's football field. The Atlanta band known for 'Chicken Fried' has sold out arenas for years, bringing its flair of "Margaritaville Country" to the table. Brown did a game trailer for Georgia Football in 2021 and he's made two appearances as a guest picker on College Gameday. He knows his football, and is a Bulldogs fan. The Truckers are another piece of Athens' incredible music history and, from 2001 to 2006, the band had Jason Isbell. Now, Isbell has gone on to his own successful career with a large following. Reuniting the two would be a tip-of-the-cap to Athens (although Isbell is from Alabama) while also letting them each play their own sets with a little crossover along the way. UGA's biggest hype machine of recent years has been Quavo, a founder of the former group Migos. The Athens native enrolled at UGA in 2023 and even performed a free show in downtown Athens' Urban Outfitters' store last fall. He'd probably have a few friends (hopefully from rap-rich Atlanta) join him to make a huge hip hop party in the middle of Sanford Stadium. Does Georgia athletics dare let a Tennessee Vol take over Sanford Stadium? Well, it would almost certainly sell out. And the guy who recently made "Get me back to God's Country" famous after his abrupt SNL exit would consider Athens as part of God's country. It would make sense for UGA athletics to pursue the hottest act in country music, even if he is one of UT's biggest fans. Ryne Dennis is the Deep South Connect Team Editor for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X @RyneDennis and email at rdennis@ This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Sanford Stadium, home of Georgia football, should host 1 of these acts
