When it comes to recruiting, Kirby Smart’s Georgia program is committed to sparing no expense.

While some college football programs may roll their eyes or simply be amazed by the dollar figures Georgia is committed to spending to land elite recruits, that’s simply the cost of doing business in the Southeastern Conference. Of course, that’s no surprise to Smart and a big reason why the Bulldogs have been successful — on and off the field — under his leadership.

Case in point, the Bulldogs spent over $400,000 dollars in travel expenses for Smart’s staff in under two weeks leading up to the latest Early Signing Period.

Here’s how much Georgia spent on recruiting leading to the Early Signing Period, according to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

In a 13-day period that bracketed Georgia’s appearance in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 7, the Bulldogs spent $422,047.07 on 42 trips by chartered air planes for coach Kirby Smart and members of his staff. Those flights landed in 23 different cities outside of Georgia’s borders, some as far away as Van Nuys, Calif., and Ontario, Canada.

What did all that money get Georgia? No surprise based on the level of financial commitment, the Bulldogs signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.

One look at Georgia’s 2020 recruiting class and you can see where all this airfare went as the Bulldogs signed prospects from all around the nation:

  • 5-star cornerback Kelee Ringo from Arizona
  • 5-star tight end Darnell Washington from Nevada
  • 4-star linebacker Mekhail Sherman from Washington, D.C.
  • 4-star running back Kendall Milton from California
  • 4-star receiver Jermaine Burton from California
  • 4-star cornerback Jalen Kimber from Texas
  • 4-star defensive back Major Burns from Louisiana
  • 4-star offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran from Louisana

The Peach State is arguably the most fertile state to recruit in the nation but for the Bulldogs to sign the best class possible, Smart and his staff had to mix the state’s top prospects with the best recruits they could find nationally. As the figures above show, that proved costly for the program.

At the end of the day, if it results in big wins on the field, the investment will prove to be well worth it.