UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Praises Top Assistant

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ATHENS - Back in early 2019 Georgia Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart made one of the best hires of his coaching career.

That’s when he hired Todd Hartley.

The Georgia graduate was the Bulldog Director of Player Personnel back in 2015 under Mark Richt before coaching tight ends at Miami from 2016-2018.

Then the call came from Kirby Smart. Since then, the Bulldogs have excelled at the tight end position and are expected to do the same in 2026. Hartley’s resume speaks for itself, and he’s widely recognized as the best tight ends coach in college football.

Kirby Smart knows it as well as anyone. During an interview with “The Next Round”, hosted by Jim Dunaway, Ryan Brown, and Lance Taylor, Smart praised his tight ends coach and made it clear where he stands across college football.

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“He’s the best in the business”. Smart said. “He’s a really good recruiter. They see a pathway with us. We use them. We think they’re the biggest weapon in college football right now.”

They may be the biggest weapon right now, but the tight ends have been a weapon in Athens for a while now. Since Hartley’s arrival in 2019, six Bulldog tight ends have been drafted into the NFL.

Of course it all starts with Brock Bowers, the greatest college football tight end of all-time. Todd Hartley found him, signed him, and helped develop him into a future College Football Hall-of-Famer. Hartley also coached Charlie Woerner, Tre McKitty, Darnell Washington, John FitzPatrick, and Oscar Delp.

Not only can Hartley coach his tail off, but he’s also an elite recruiter, dominating on the recruiting trail year after year. That success has led to an incredibly deep and talented room right now that includes veteran Lawson Luckie, emerging star Jaden Reddell, and two dynamic second-year players in Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour. Veteran Colton Heinrich and several more impressive freshmen will provide more talent and depth in the room this year.

Oh, and let’s not forget what he did earlier this week, landing a commitment from elite four-star Jaxon Dollar‍, the No. 2 tight end prospect in the nation. Hartley also has a commitment from playmaking tight end Asa Wall‍ in the 2028 class.

So yes, Todd Hartley certainly is the “best in the game”. And he’s not slowing down anytime soon.