Kirby Smart shares recruiting philosophy in NIL era: ‘We sell relationships over transactions’
By Mark Kern
Published:
Kirby Smart has taken Georgia to another level since becoming the coach, especially in the last few years when the NIL era has really taken off.
So much of the college football talk these days is how much money players are going to be making at their respective schools. However, when talking to reporters at the SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday, Smart said the transactions aren’t what has made Georgia the program it has become.
Rather, it is the ability to the staff to sell their players on the relationships.
“We sell relationships over transactions,” Smart said. “We don’t believe in just being transactional. When you’re transactional, you cannot reach your ultimate goal w/out relationships.”
The SEC figures to once again be as tough of a conference is in the country, and the Bulldogs have some very difficult games. One break on the schedule is that the Bulldogs toughest games against Alabama and Texas are in Athens, with a road game at Tennessee being their toughest test away from home.
When playing the elite teams in the SEC, it isn’t always about which team is the most talented; rather, what teams stay together through the adversity. Building and developing those relationships may just be what gets Georgia back to the top of the college football mountain.
