Kirby Smart discusses player retention at Georgia, calls out portal-heavy teams
By Sydney Hunte
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Kirby Smart and Georgia didn’t lean on the transfer portal too heavily in the offseason. That allowed him and his staff to be intentional with who they brought in, which ultimately saw the Bulldogs introduce nine new players.
In regard to outgoing transfers, only 15 players left the program, which is quite low in relation to some others. That was the fruit of Smart’s labor.
“We really worked hard on retention with our team to retain the guys we have. We think that’s what provides a winning culture,” Smart said on Tuesday. “What provides a locker room culture is retaining guys and guys having relationships.”
While the Georgia head coach didn’t come right out and say it, he was clear about what he thought about programs that rely heavily on the portal every year.
“Most teams that are a bunch of independent contractors don’t play as well together, and we sold ourselves on keeping the guys we got and building on that culture. And we’ll see how much better we can make them,” he said.
Tuesday marked the first day of spring practice for the Bulldogs, with 15 practices set to primarily be held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It will culminate with the annual G-Day, which will be held on April 18.
Currently, Kalshi is giving Georgia an 8% chance of winning the College Football Playoff.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
