College football analyst Paul Finebaum is never one to hold back his opinions, and this week, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart found himself squarely in the crosshairs. During a recent segment on ESPN, Finebaum offered a blunt assessment of the current state of Georgia football, saying that while the Bulldogs remain one of the nation’s elite programs, Smart may be facing more challenges than he anticipated going into the 2025 season.
Finebaum pointed to a shifting landscape in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), where teams like Alabama under Kalen DeBoer, Texas with Steve Sarkisian, and even upstarts like Ole Miss and Missouri are closing the gap on Georgia. “Kirby Smart is still the king of the hill,” Finebaum acknowledged, “but that throne is getting shakier by the season.”
Georgia is coming off a 2024 season that, while impressive by most standards, failed to meet the sky-high expectations the program has set for itself under Smart. The Bulldogs fell short in the College Football Playoff semifinals, and Finebaum believes that result exposed cracks in the armor.
“He’s still recruiting at a high level, no doubt,” Finebaum said. “But it’s not just about five-star talent anymore. It’s about adapting quickly, managing the transfer portal, and making bold offensive decisions—something Georgia has been hesitant to do consistently.”
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