Stature and coaches, 1936–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2016–now
Kirby Smart Transformer ◆ COY
Kirby Smart took Georgia from Power Program I to Dynasty — 2 Dynasty seasons.
Swung 23.5 points of pass rate — #7 of 449 FBS coaching stints since 2004
vs. Florida
+20.5 pts over 11 seasons · top 24% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Sonny Lubick’s Colorado State run (1993–2007)
1st-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Mark Richt (2001–2015).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||||
| Record | 8-5 | 13-2 | 11-3 | 12-2 | 8-2 | 14-1 | 15-0 | 13-1 | 11-3 | 12-2 | 7-1 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | Title game L | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | Champion | Champion | W bowl | CFP loss | CFP loss | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #6 | #3 | #1 | #2 | #1 | #3 | #3 | #2 | #1 | #2 | #6 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||||
| Pass rate | 42.0 | 31.3 | 38.6 | 44.1 | 44.8 | 42.8 | 46.9 | 47.6 | 54.8 | 42.0 | 44.6 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||||||||
| OC | James Coley / Jim Chaney | James Coley / Jim Chaney | James Coley / Jim Chaney | James Coley | Todd Monken | Todd Monken | Todd Monken | Mike Bobo | Mike Bobo | Mike Bobo | Mike Bobo | |
| DC | Mel Tucker | Mel Tucker | Mel Tucker | Dan Lanning / Glenn Schumann | Dan Lanning / Glenn Schumann | Dan Lanning / Glenn Schumann | Glenn Schumann / Will Muschamp | Glenn Schumann / Will Muschamp | Glenn Schumann / Travaris Robinson | Glenn Schumann / Travaris Robinson | Glenn Schumann / Travaris Robinson | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||||
| Offense | 43 | 97 | 97 | 57 | 85 | 97 | 100 | 98 | 68 | 83 | 86 | |
| Defense | 66 | 83 | 75 | 99 | 77 | 100 | 95 | 90 | 74 | 83 | 65 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 30.9 | 25.8 | 35.5 | 41.0 | 44.0 | 42.9 | 43.9 | 46.0 | 50.5 | 40.6 | 42.8 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 38.4 | 32.8 | 34.1 | 49.1 | 44.4 | 35.6 | 38.2 | 36.2 | 47.2 | 26.4 | 30.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 18.2 | 9.4 | 21.9 | 15.2 | 25.9 | 15.6 | 23.7 | 20.5 | 36.8 | 28.1 | 13.3 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+9.1 pts
#66 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
+12.8 pts
#59 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Portal arrivals
38
3.5★ avg rating
Portal departures
105
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-67
#157 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits younger transfers than most — more of a development bet.
Avg. size (raw)
6′1″, 216 lbs
across 28 of 38 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+7.5 lbs
#49 of 255 · top quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#227 of 255 · bottom quarter
Top states: GA (8), NV (3), SC (2), CA (2), TX (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
64.6
position-weighted
Talent lost
69.5
position-weighted
Net
-4.9
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Jaden Rashada (QB) from Arizona State
Biggest loss: Carson Beck (QB) to Miami
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: James Coley (co) / Jim Chaney → James Coley · 2019
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 35.5% → 41.0% (+5.6 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 53% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: James Coley → Todd Monken · 2020
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 41.0% → 44.0% (+2.9 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 36% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
OC: Todd Monken → Mike Bobo · 2023The offense slipped
2-season window either side.
1st-down pass rate: 43.4% → 48.3% (+4.8 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 43% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Mel Tucker → Dan Lanning (co) / Glenn Schumann (co) · 2019The system held
2-season window either side.
DC: Dan Lanning (co) / Glenn Schumann (co) → Glenn Schumann (co) / Will Muschamp (co) · 2022The system held
2-season window either side.
DC: Glenn Schumann (co) / Will Muschamp (co) → Glenn Schumann / Travaris Robinson (co) · 2024The defense slipped
2-season window either side.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
211 lbs
6′1″ avg · #445 of 767 · middle half
Running back
210 lbs
5′11″ avg · #284 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
196 lbs
6′1″ avg · #235 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
246 lbs
6′5″ avg · #311 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
318 lbs
6′5″ avg · #71 of 779 · top quarter
D-line
305 lbs
6′4″ avg · #43 of 753 · top quarter
Linebacker
236 lbs
6′2″ avg · #90 of 772 · top quarter
Cornerback
194 lbs
6′1″ avg · #157 of 771 · top quarter
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Punter from high school
100%
#29 of 29 stints
Grows Kicker from high school
83%
#52 of 56 stints
Postseason detail2016: Beat TCU 31-23 Bowl2017: Beat Oklahoma 54-48 Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual - Cfp Semifinal2017: Lost to Alabama 23-26 Cfp National Championship Presented By At&T2018: Lost to Texas 21-28 Allstate Sugar Bowl2019: Beat Baylor 26-14 Allstate Sugar Bowl2020: Beat Cincinnati 24-21 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl2021: Beat Michigan 34-11 CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl2021: Beat Alabama 33-18 CFP National Championship pres. by AT&T2022: Beat Ohio State 42-41 CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl2022: Beat TCU 65-7 CFP National Championship pres. by AT&T2023: Beat Florida State 63-3 Capital One Orange Bowl2024: Lost to Notre Dame 10-23 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - Rescheduled from Jan 12025: Lost to Ole Miss 34-39 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
84 NFL Draft picks: Isaiah McKenzie (2017), Roquan Smith (2018), Isaiah Wynn (2018), Sony Michel (2018), Nick Chubb (2018), Lorenzo Carter (2018), Javon Wims (2018), Deandre Baker (2019) + 76 more
Coach of the Year: SEC Coach of the Year (2022)
19 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Eric Stokes (2020), Nakobe Dean (2021), Lewis Cine (2021), Jordan Davis (2021), Brock Bowers (2021), Jamon Dumas-Johnson (2022), Jalen Carter (2022), Brock Bowers (2022) + 11 more
AI Narratives — “Georgia's Offseason Shifts” and 19 more on the team page.
+20.5
124-22
2001–2015
Mark Richt Builder≈
Mark Richt raised the Bulldogs from Power Program II to Power Program I.
2015 defense ranked in the 96th percentile nationally — elite
vs. Florida
+12.2 pts over 15 seasons · top 49% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Joe Novak’s Northern Illinois run (1996–2007)
3rd-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Jim Donnan (1996–2000) · succeeded by Kirby Smart (2016–now).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||||||||
| Record | 8-4 | 13-1 | 11-3 | 10-2 | 10-3 | 9-4 | 11-2 | 10-3 | 8-5 | 6-7 | 10-4 | 12-2 | 8-5 | 10-3 | 9-3 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | #7 | #7 | #3 | #8 | #7 | #4 | #11 | #7 | #9 | #12 | #8 | #6 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | 43.9 | 44.4 | 44.6 | 41.8 | 48.4 | 43.6 | 44.1 | 42.7 | 43.2 | 48.6 | 36.7 | 40.2 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||||||||||||
| OC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mike Bobo | Brian Schottenheimer | |
| DC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Jeremy Pruitt | Jeremy Pruitt | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | 85 | 84 | 54 | 65 | 94 | 75 | 82 | 40 | 89 | 94 | 94 | 56 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | 74 | 22 | 93 | 81 | 87 | 70 | 75 | 95 | 42 | 80 | 64 | 96 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | 37.8 | 42.2 | 43.5 | 37.9 | 42.8 | 41.0 | 47.0 | 39.0 | 44.9 | 46.4 | 33.3 | 33.4 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | 35.4 | 37.7 | 37.7 | 33.7 | 42.3 | 36.4 | 38.7 | 40.6 | 41.7 | 43.5 | 33.6 | 32.4 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | 33.3 | 20.5 | 24.4 | 12.1 | 24.3 | 20.0 | 22.2 | 22.7 | 25.0 | 35.5 | 24.2 | 15.6 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent on offense and outperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
-12.8 pts
#159 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
+29.6 pts
#10 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Mike Bobo → Brian Schottenheimer · 2015
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 33.3% → 33.4% (+0.1 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 46% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2001: Lost to Boston College 16-20 Bowl2002: Beat Florida State 26-13 Sugar Bowl2003: Beat Purdue 34-27 Capital One Bowl2004: Beat Wisconsin 24-21 Outback Bowl2005: Lost to West Virginia 35-38 Nokia Sugar Bowl2006: Beat Virginia Tech 31-24 Bowl2007: Beat Hawai'i 41-10 Bowl2008: Beat Michigan State 24-12 Capital One Bowl2009: Beat Texas A&M 44-20 Bowl2010: Lost to UCF 6-10 AutoZone LIBERTY BOWL2011: Lost to Michigan State 30-33 Outback Bowl2012: Beat Nebraska 45-31 Capital One Bowl2013: Lost to Nebraska 19-24 TAXSLAYER.com GATOR BOWL2014: Beat Louisville 37-14 Belk Bowl
84 NFL Draft picks: Charles Grant (2002), Will Witherspoon (2002), Randy McMichael (2002), Terreal Bierria (2002), Jermaine Phillips (2002), Verron Haynes (2002), Josh Mallard (2002), Tim Wansley (2002) + 76 more
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): David Pollack (2004)
+12.2
145-51
1996–2000
Jim Donnan Steady
Jim Donnan held Georgia at Power Program II for 5 seasons.
vs. Florida
+1.5 pts over 5 seasons · top 26% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Nick Saban’s Michigan State run (1995–1999)
6th-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Ray Goff (1989–1995) · succeeded by Mark Richt (2001–2015).
| Season | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 5-6 | 10-2 | 9-3 | 8-4 | 8-4 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | |
Postseason detail1997: Beat Wisconsin 33-6 Bowl1998: Beat Virginia 35-33 Bowl1999: Beat Purdue 28-25 Bowl2000: Beat Virginia 37-14 Bowl
22 NFL Draft picks: Adam Meadows (1997), Jermaine Smith (1997), Jason Ferguson (1997), Robert Edwards (1998), Hines Ward (1998), Brandon ToLBert (1998), Antonio Fleming (1998), Champ Bailey (1999) + 14 more
+1.5
40-19
1989–1995
Ray Goff Inheritor
Ray Goff inherited the Bulldogs at Power Program I and saw it slip to Power Program II.
vs. Florida
−7.5 pts over 7 seasons · bottom 12% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Jim Lambright’s Washington run (1993–1998)
5th-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Vince Dooley (1964–1988) · succeeded by Jim Donnan (1996–2000).
| Season | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||
| Record | 6-6 | 4-7 | 9-3 | 10-2 | 5-6 | 6-4-1 | 6-6 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | — | W bowl | W bowl | — | — | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Postseason detail1989: Lost to Syracuse 18-19 Bowl1991: Beat Arkansas 24-15 Bowl1992: Beat Ohio State 21-14 Bowl1995: Lost to Virginia 27-34 Bowl
14 NFL Draft picks: Ben Smith (1990), Rodney Hampton (1990), Mo Lewis (1991), John Kasay (1991), Garrison Hearst (1993), Andre Hastings (1993), Alec Millen (1993), Todd Peterson (1993) + 6 more
−7.5
46-34-1
1964–1988
Vince Dooley Transformer
Vince Dooley took Georgia from National Program I to Blue Blood.
vs. Florida
+28.9 pts over 25 seasons · top 10% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Greg Schiano’s Rutgers run (2001–2011, 2020–now)
2nd-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Johnny Griffith (1961–1963) · succeeded by Ray Goff (1989–1995).
| Season | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 7-3-1 | 6-4 | 10-1 | 7-4 | 8-1-2 | 5-5-1 | 5-5 | 11-1 | 7-4 | 7-4-1 | 6-6 | 9-3 | 10-2 | 5-6 | 9-2-1 | 6-5 | 12-0 | 10-2 | 11-1 | 10-1-1 | 7-4-1 | 7-3-2 | 8-4 | 9-3 | 9-3 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W bowl | — | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | — | L bowl | — | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Postseason detail1971: Beat North Carolina 7-3 Bowl1973: Beat Maryland 17-16 Bowl1974: Lost to Miami (OH) 10-21 Bowl1975: Lost to Arkansas 10-31 Bowl1976: Lost to Pittsburgh 3-27 Bowl1978: Lost to Stanford 22-25 Bowl1980: Beat Notre Dame 17-10 Bowl1981: Lost to Pittsburgh 20-24 Bowl1982: Lost to Penn State 23-27 Bowl1983: Beat Texas 10-9 Bowl1984: Tied Florida State 17-17 Bowl1985: Tied Arizona 13-13 Bowl1986: Lost to Boston College 24-27 Bowl1987: Beat Arkansas 20-17 Bowl1988: Beat Michigan State 34-27 Bowl
+28.9
201-77-10
1961–1963
Johnny Griffith Steady
Johnny Griffith slid the Bulldogs from Power Program III to National Program I in 3 seasons.
vs. Florida
−9.3 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 15% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Tommy Tuberville’s Cincinnati run (2013–2016)
7th-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Wallace Butts (1939–1960) · succeeded by Vince Dooley (1964–1988).
−9.3
10-16-4
1939–1960
Wallace Butts Transformer≈
Wallace Butts took the Bulldogs from National Program II to Power Program I.
vs. Florida
+23.9 pts over 22 seasons · top 20% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Steve Spurrier’s Florida run (1990–2001)
4th-best Georgia tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Joel Hunt (1938) · succeeded by Johnny Griffith (1961–1963).
+23.9
140-86-9
1938
Joel Hunt Short tenure
vs. Florida
5-4-1