ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit is already looking ahead to 2026, and his Coach of the Year watchlist comes with four familiar names at the top of the college football food chain.
For The Herbies, Herbstreit went with Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti.
Freeman, 40, has been steady from the jump in South Bend. He has won at least nine games in each of his four seasons leading the Fighting Irish, took Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff title game two seasons ago, and followed that up with a 10-2 finish last season that left the Irish just outside the CFP field.
Lea, 44, put Vanderbilt on a different level in 2025. The Commodores finished 10-3, marking the first 10-win season in program history, and Lea’s work carried the Nashville native’s team to a No. 15 spot in the final AP poll.
Smart’s résumé needs little introduction. The 50-year-old Georgia coach is a two-time national champion and has also delivered four SEC titles. Since 2017, the Bulldogs have lost three or fewer games every season, and last year they went 12-2 and earned a CFP berth.
Cignetti, 65, has Indiana rolling at a pace the program has never seen. He led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and the program’s first national title last year, and he enters 2026 with a 27-2 record at Indiana. Cignetti is also a two-time AP Coach of the Year.
Each coach will open the season with a different test. Notre Dame starts against Wisconsin, Vanderbilt hosts Austin Peay, Georgia welcomes Tennessee State, and Indiana opens at home against North Texas.
In Other News...
Georgia Defense Gets A Boost Just In Time For Week 1
Georgias season opener comes with a cleaner injury picture than many teams get this time of year, and that matters for a defense trying to settle in quickly. The biggest concern on the report is the loss of transfer linebacker Amaris Williams to a torn ACL, along with transfer running back Dante Dowdell still working back from an ATV accident, but the overall list is short and the group around them appears to be in good shape.
The most encouraging update for Georgia is in the secondary, where starting safety Kyron Jones is back to full health and expected to start against Tennessee State. With starting center Drew Bobo also healthy and few other issues surfacing, the Bulldogs head into Week 1 with a chance to open the year closer to full strength than most programs can manage this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Williams Finally Has A Real Chance To Break Through At Georgia
Justin Williams has spent enough time around Georgias defense to know how crowded the room can be, but this is the kind of opening he has been waiting for. With C.J. Allen gone, the Bulldogs are preparing for Williams to take on a much larger role in 2026, and the buzz around him has only grown after coaches and teammates kept pointing to his growth, athleticism and leadership.
Kirby Smart has already said Williams will get more opportunities this season, and that alone changes the conversation for a player who has been praised for his work against the run. The next step is proving that his practice reputation can carry over when the games start to matter, which is where Georgia will find out whether Williams is simply a trusted piece or something more important for the defenses future. [Read more 🡒]
Talyn Taylor Is Giving Georgia Fans A New Reason To Dream
Talyn Taylor gave Georgia fans an early glimpse of what might be coming when the sophomore wide receiver found the end zone in the 2026 season opener against Tennessee State. It was his first career touchdown, and it came in a first half that already looked like a step forward, as he hauled in multiple passes and topped his reception total from the previous season before the Bulldogs had even settled in.
For a program chasing a third straight SEC championship, every promising young playmaker matters, and Taylors emergence adds another layer to an offense that already expects to contend. Georgia built a commanding lead in the opener, but the bigger takeaway for Bulldogs fans was the sight of a receiver who looks ready to expand his role and give this offense another reason to feel dangerous. [Read more 🡒]