When asked about recruiting his players to stay at Georgia, Kirby Smart details his program's commitment to developing its players
Given a window into life behind the scenes in Athens, Kirby Smart admits that even Georgia has to regularly recruit players that may not currently be happy with their roles in the program to stay in Athens. That’s just where college football is in the age of the NCAA transfer portal.
However, instead of looking at the issue as a burden, Smart says Georgia invests heavily in getting the most out of every single player that enters the program with a large support staff, the best facilities in the country and a commitment to developing that not even the NFL can match.
Leaving when things get tough may be the easy route, but as Smart explained during his most recent media availability, that isn’t the path to success for the vast majority of players as Georgia has all the tools to get the most out of the players that step foot on campus in Athens.
Here’s what Smart had to say when asked how often he has to recruit his players to stay at Georgia behind closed doors.
‘’Oh, all the time. It’s part of college football now,” Smart said on Tuesday. “It’s probably one of the most important things in a program now in major college football, especially at the major Power 5 programs, is the support staff that you’re capable of hiring to support you and support your program and support these players.”
Smart then noted that in today’s era of high school recruiting and media coverage, nearly every player Georgia signs have a sense of entitlement following all the attention and fanfare that comes with their college decision. That bravado is commonplace in young men of everyday life but it’s often compounded with all the attention thrown these players’ way.
“There’s not one guy that comes in here that’s not highly touted, not given a thousand accolades by all the media or, I guess you’d say, the recruiting sites,” Smart continued. “So they go through trials and tribulations of realizing that they have work to do. And the people that have to support ‘em here are so key to our success. There are probably 20 guys on our staff who sat down with 30 to 40 different players and explained that your best option is here. Your best option is now.”
The Georgia coach then relayed a message that many players considering a jump to the game’s highest level need to consider, if you aren’t completely ready for the NFL, don’t go. The league does not have time to develop you and will move on quickly if necessary.
“We had a (NFL) general manager come in and talk to the players about developing. You’re going to develop better at Georgia, where you’ve got nutrition, weight room, unbelievable coaching staff, support staff, facilities, better than you are by going somewhere else that you might not have those facilities,” he added. “You’re also going to develop better here than you are in the NFL because they don’t run a developmental league. They only have a 53-man roster, so they can’t develop players. They cut ‘em.
“There’s no, ‘Hey, I’m going to develop you for later.’ You’re going to be better off staying here, working and getting better, so that you’re a better player when you do go to the NFL because the whole key is that you make it. We sell the players on that. You’re going to develop because we practice every kid out there. Our threes took reps today, to get better. So we’re always looking at, ‘OK, what’s the best for every player on our roster and then also, what’s best for our team?’ And we’re trying to manage those two things.’’
Emperor Kirby Maximus Smart has awakened the Beast of the East.
Meh. Ron Zook’s Florida would be the beast of the current East (UGA notwithstanding of course).
This is probably the worst the SEC East has been since the early 90s. Seriously. Compare the SEC East to the ACC Atlantic. No team in the ACC Atlantic is as as bad as Vandy and UT, two of the worst teams in P5. South Carolina and (thanks to injuries) Kentucky aren’t much better. Mizzou? Lost to Wyoming and they are going to try to go with Kelly Bryant on one good leg. UF? Looks worse winning than a lot of teams do losing. Granted, the ACC Coastal is much weaker than the ACC Atlantic (and thereby the SEC East) and even all the best ACC teams can’t hold a candle to the SEC West.
But I think that UGA fans shouldn’t put nearly so much stock in dominating the east. Because the East isn’t that good. It is an accomplishment not much different from Clemson dominating the ACC. Except that even there, a few years ago FSU, Miami, Georgia Tech etc. were a lot better than they are now. Like when Lamar Jackson, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston and Mitch Trubisky – all NFL starters – were in the ACC at the same time (PLUS Georgia Tech hammered Mullen’s best Mississippi State team, the one where Dak Prescott had a huge year, in a bowl game).
It’s a shame that programs have to keep an entire staff on hand just to “keep” players committed. There used to be loyalty and a thing called being a man of your word. Nowdays, kids will jump ship at the slightest provacation. Coaches and staff are wasting time pampering kids that could be used in better preparing them for the next game or the next job/career. I respect the coaches, because I would be fed up and angry all the time if I was having to deal with prima donnas (and thugs).
Bail this one out of jail. Go have a talk with that one to keep him from entering the transfer portal. Help this one learn to read and write. Keep this one from getting penalties for excessive celebration (seems like that problem has mostly gone away – thank goodness). Tell the other one if he’ll just work hard and wait a year, he’ll be the next star.
“There used to be loyalty and a thing called being a man of your word.”
Excuse me … but why should players be any more loyal than assistants and head coaches? UGA once got one of the best DEs in the country. His father was furious because he wanted the kid to go to FSU (which was closer to home). But … after his freshman year, UGA switched from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense. The kid was a 4-3 DE nowhere big or strong enough to play 2 gap technique. That kid “stayed loyal to UGA” and eventually did bulk up and get some playing time his junior and senior seasons, but never did sniff the NFL because he was too small – even after adding 25 lbs – to be an NFL 3-4 DE and never got a chance to show his edge pass rushing skills as a 4-3 one.
Fans require players to make bigger sacrifices than they ask of coaches, grown men making millions a year. Amazing.
Given that we are in the here and now, I love the way Kirby gets it re “todays kids” and adapts his approach accordingly. Yesteryear was great but yesteryear’s methods wont work with todays generation.
I remember when my generation in the 70s was considered slackers and doomed to failure. Then Gen X was supposedly even worse. Now Millennials are all clueless snowflakes. None of it is true.Fact is every generation changes things and create new paradigms different from their parents and we all are better for it.Change should be embraced, not resisted.
Inevitable change is a constant
Good change should be embraced. Deviation from morals should not. We can probably agree that the free-spending generation of the 20s was not better than their kids who grew up in the Depression and won WWII.
Agreed but i find nothing morally wrong about players seeking options if current situation isnt working. Its what adults do if they dont like their job.
Most definitely. It’s the same as trying to keep your employee from leaving for a competing company.
There probably wasn’t a nickel’s difference between the average John Doe or Jane Doe from the “free spending generation of 20’s” and the kids that grew up during the depression (upper classes and elitists excluded.)
The wholesale transformation occurred with the kid’s the Greatest Generation produced – the baby boomers.
That is the generation that started abandoning Judeo-Christian culture/principles and embracing cultural marxism, postmodernism and relativism on a large scale.
Very true.