UGA football head coach Kirby Smart has been named to the 2019 Dodd Trophy Watch List, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl have announced.
The Dodd Trophy is awarded to the head coach of a team “…who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.”
In his three seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs, Kirby Smart is 32-10 and 18-6 in Southeastern Conference play. He also led UGA to the 2017 SEC Championship, Rose Bowl win, and National Championship Game appearance.
“The Dodd Trophy is the most coveted coach of the year award because it looks beyond just the results on the field and measures the overall impact these coaches have had on their players, universities and communities,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “When determining candidates for the watch list, we carefully consider each coach’s commitment to the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.”
2019 Dodd Trophy Watch List
| Coach | School | Conference |
| Dino Babers | Syracuse | ACC |
| Matt Campbell | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Paul Chryst | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Jimbo Fisher | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| James Franklin | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Scott Frost | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Bryan Harsin | Boise State | Mountain West |
| Tom Herman | Texas | Big 12 |
| Josh Heupel | UCF | AAC |
| Brian Kelly | Notre Dame | Independent |
| Gus Malzahn | Auburn | SEC |
| Jeff Monken | Army | Independent |
| Dan Mullen | Florida | SEC |
| Chris Petersen | Washington | Pac-12 |
| Lincoln Riley | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | SEC |
| David Shaw | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | SEC |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | ACC |
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | Pac-12 |
“This impressive group of coaches has an unprecedented resume of nine National Championships, 50 conference titles and 2,012 career wins,” said Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl CEO & President Gary Stokan. “In what will be the sport’s 150th anniversary season, we couldn’t have asked for a more influential list of current coaches who have left their mark on college football.”
Last season, Kirby Smart was named a finalist for the Dodd Trophy, which was later given to Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly.
The Georgia Bulldogs are set to open the 2019 season at the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, August 31. The game will be televised by the SEC Network at 7:30pm ET.
