Kirby Smart vs. Dabo Swinney: Coaching records, H2H comparisons, football career and more

Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney are two of the more well-known college football head coaches, and both have won national championships.

Smart is currently the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, while Swinney leads the Clemson Tigers.

Both Smart and Swinney have served as assistants and worked their way up to become head coaches at notable programs.

Kirby Smart has been the head coach of Georgia since 2016 and doesn't have a single losing record. In his eight years as head coach, he is 81-15 overall and 48-9 against the SEC. He also has led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.

Dabo Swinney, meanwhile, took over as Clemson's head coach in 2008 but had his first full season in 2009. Swinney's lone losing record came in 2010 as Clemson went 6-7, but Swinney is 161-39 overall and 89-18 against the ACC. He won the national championship in 2016 and 2018 with the Tigers.

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Have Smart and Swinney coached against one another?

Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney have yet to play against one another as head coaches. But with both Georgia and Clemson being powerhouses in college football, they could find themselves on opposite sidelines in a national championship.

However, they did coach against one another in 2015 when Smart was the defensive coordinator for Alabama against Clemson in the national championship game, which the Crimson Tide won.

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Smart and Swinney's record vs. Nick Saban

Kirby Smart defeated Nick Saban in the 2022 National Championship Game

Nick Saban is considered the best college football coach of all time and has had success against both Smart and Swinney.

Saban is currently 4-1 against Smart as head coach, while the Alabama football head coach is 1-2 in national championship games against Swinney and 2-2 overall.

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Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney's football career

Kirby Smart played football at Bainbridge High School and went on to play college football at the University of Georgia. He was a four-year letterman at defensive back for Georgia and a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior. Smart finished his career with 13 interceptions and led the team in interceptions in 1997 and 1998.

Although Smart had success as a DB, he went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft but did sign with Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent but was cut before the start of the regular season. He failed to make another NFL team and then turned to coaching.

Dabo Swinney, meanwhile, was raised in Alabama and walked on to the Crimson Tide's roster in 1989 as a wide receiver. He earned a scholarship and lettered on three teams (1990–1992), including the Crimson Tide's 1992 National Championship team.

However, in just three seasons, he caught seven passes for 81 yards, and after his college career was over, he became a coach.