Kirby Smart on recruiting physicality: ‘You’re not just getting checks at our place. We’re hitting people’
By David Wasson
Published:
The new climate of college football has millions flowing from Name, Image and Likeness collectives to players, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart says that his Bulldogs – unlike some other destinations – isn’t simply handing out money.
“We build our core culture around being a physical team, and you have to recruit physical players,” Smart said after his fifth-ranked Bulldogs downed No. 10 Texas 35-10. “And they have to buy into that process. A lot of these kids want a check. They don’t want physicality. If you have the check and no physicality, you end with nothing. You’re not just getting checks at our place. We’re hitting people.”
Smart’s Bulldogs improved to 9-1 overall and have an excellent chance to make the SEC Championship Game with a 7-1 conference record. The loss by Texas hurts the Longhorns’ chances of earning an at-large bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff, but Texas could still have a chance at a bid if it sweeps the final 2-game stretch against Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M.
Georgia’s SEC slate is complete, as the Bulldogs take on Charlotte in Week 13 (12:45 pm ET, SEC Network) and then play host to No. 16 Georgia Tech on Nov. 28 (3:30 pm ET, ABC).
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
