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Fox analyst: Curt Cignetti has passed Kirby Smart atop coaching ranks
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Fox analyst: Curt Cignetti has passed Kirby Smart atop coaching ranks
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I would take one Kirby Smart to two Curt Cignettis. Cignetti has done a remarkable job with Indiana after two years. That's not enough of a sample size; let's see how he does over the long haul as other teams adjust to his tactics of putting a team together.
The talent in the SEC has certainly been diluted and less concentrated at the top. The Big 10 has less balance from top to bottom. All said, the SEC had a horrible bowl season, even if someone will certainly say that most of the games were meaningless.
Hmmm. I'm certainly not ready to crown Cignetti yet, because he hasn't even won the Natty. Even if he does, Kirby and him are far different in their coaching methods, and Cignetti hasn't proven his staying power in the big leagues. He has proven he can take teams and make them great. I definitely admire what he has done. If he keeps it up and Indiana stays as a annual playoff team, or even wins the NC, then we will have much more to discuss.
Cignetti emphasizes fundamentals (tackling, blocking, assignment football) and production. He doesn't really care how many stars you have. He gives his players much more time off than Kirby does, and his practices are typically shorter, and I would bet less grueling than what we see at UGA. Is that better or worse? Less injuries under Cignetti most likely since most of your injuries occur during practice - not the games.
We all know this article is click bait and a WAY TOO EARLY to tell statement. If Miami's defense shows up BIG like they did against the Buckeyes, I definitely think the Canes could hang with and even win against the Hoosiers.
Keep an open mind. The pre-NIL/portal, yes - Kirby over just about anyone. But post-NIL/portal? I don't know if the "model has changed" rather that there is a second viable model. Pre-NIL/portal - he who recruits HS best is in the driver's seat. And while that model can work post-NIL/portal, there is this second model of going deeper into the portal for older, more experienced, more proven (than a freshman) players. Is there risk with that model? Yes. But there's risk with the HS-heavy model. You can miss with an 18-year old 4-star just like you can miss in the portal. And even if you don't miss, you still need to pay up as well as needing to get that kid on the field (against the 22 and 23-year olds) or else they take your money and your development and go elsewhere. Cignetti looks like he has mastered the "23-year olds with 20+ college starts/weight-training/nutrition under their belt" model. Forget the bright shiny expensive QB (who is terrific) and think o-line and d-line. Or is there a 3rd model?: HS in the trenches and veterans at the skill positions? Or vice versa. Or maybe all the above is BS.
when all is slow - just “throw it up and see if it sticks”.
I guess you gotta eat too….
I read a lot of worthless stuff in the news everyday and this didn't disappoint in that regard
@BigFan…Valid point. Pre and Post-NIL/portal. We'll probably need another few years to see how teams really perform under this new model. I'd say this year it's fully baked in and teams are really leaning into the portal, whereas last season many teams were testing the waters and experimenting. This year even Clemson has adopted much more of the transfer world. Adapt or die. Dabo said I better adapt a bit, even if it's only (10) players.
Give me experience over talent. I've been saying this ad nauseum for a very long time. Cignetti definitely believes in that when you add in the production factor to his formula. I think he's right for the long term. We'll see.
Kirby's 2018 and 2019 teams looked pretty bad, improved some in 2020, and of course won it all in 2021 and 2022. IMO, Coley is just as bad of a receivers coach as he is an OC, so there's that. I have seen Bobo score many points when given the players to work with to do so under Mark Richt. The Dawgs just don't have those kinds of offensive players right now. To Mike Bobo's point, I want to see Gunner Stockton play at his ceiling if that is possible. The two WR's Taylor and Wiley need to really catch on to SEC Football right away. Neither has shown very much so far. I'm keeping an open mind while also keeping my eyes open. We will see.
Don't you usually wait to crown a new guy till when he actually wins something? How many one hit wonders has there been over the years? TCU much?
Wow...really? Cignetti's team is full of grad students just like Vandy's. Talk to me in 10 years about how good he is. And what conference has Cignetti gotten his wins in compared to Kirby. What a BS article.
IF he wins it all he passes Kirby as top coach..seriuosly? After 1 NC? Klatt the Clown shows his Bozo side once again. Should've been a comedian instead, hes a joke himself if he believes his statement is true. Kirby didn't BUY his 2 Titles, Cignetti did, with 22 and 23 year old experienced players already developed, not with HS recruits like Kirby, sure Kirby used a few portal players to help, but not an entire team made up of transfers as cignetti has done..and thats IF indiana wins it all. I was rooting for indiana, but after reading that, i now hope miami waxes indianas a** and makes klatt the Clown eat those words...
Or if he ever wins back to back titles..or even comes close to accomplishing that feat. Then it may be a valid point, until then, its just noise from a self proclaimed "expert"..
Klatt works for Fox . He’s repping his paycheck’s conference .
Who knows maybe the new model is the older NFL age roster with more 3-star recruits who stick around instead of the 18 year old 4+ star guys who leave after 3 years or portal transfer because of the money. Indiana has an average starter rating around 2.5 stars.
Klatt isn’t wrong, and pretending otherwise is how programs slide from dominance into nostalgia. Three years without a CFP semifinal isn’t a blip—it’s a cycle. At this point, Georgia has a roster full of players who’ve never experienced the sport’s biggest stage. That matters, whether we like it or not.
If Cignetti finishes the job and wins a national title, then yes—you can absolutely make the case that he’s passed Kirby right now. Not historically. Not culturally. Right now. And college football is a “right now” business.
This isn’t about disrespecting Kirby. He earned every ounce of credibility he has. But the sport he conquered no longer exists in the same form. NIL, the portal, schematic aggression, and real-time adaptation have reshaped the game. Coaches who are winning today are treating it like the NFL—with constant staff churn, aggressive roster management, and zero patience for complacency.
Kirby’s biggest strength—loyalty and continuity—has quietly become a vulnerability. Development alone no longer beats acquisition. Culture alone no longer beats innovation. And past titles don’t buy future CFP appearances.
If Kirby wants to reclaim the top spot, it won’t be by “staying the course.” It’ll require uncomfortable decisions: ruthless staff upgrades, a fully weaponized NIL operation, and an offense that pressures opponents instead of protecting leads. He has to coach like the crown is gone—because right now, it is. He's seen Saban ruthlessly reset firsthand. Hell, Saban replaced the starting QBs in the middle of the 2017 and 2018 games against us to come back and beat us.
That doesn’t mean Georgia is broken. It means the margin for being “the best” has narrowed to almost nothing. The throne now belongs to the coach producing elite results this season, not the one who did it best three years ago.
Klatt’s take sounds harsh because we’re not used to hearing it about Kirby. But it isn’t hot-take nonsense—it’s the reality of a sport that no longer waits for anyone to catch up.
The good news? Kirby is capable of the reset.
The bad news? He actually has to pull the trigger.
And until then, the debate isn’t disrespectful—it’s fair.
— and that’s exactly why it bites.