Kirby Smart Embraces In-State Roots as Georgia Adapts to NIL Era
ATHENS - Kirby Smart has never been shy about his love for recruiting the state of Georgia. And in the ever-evolving world of college football, where the transfer portal and NIL have changed the game, that focus on homegrown talent might be more valuable than ever.
Sitting down recently to discuss the current recruiting landscape, Smart was candid about the challenges and realities of building a consistent winner in today’s environment. He knows NIL is now part of the equation - but he’s not interested in turning Georgia into a bidding war battleground.
“We’ve got to be competitive,” Smart said. “We don’t have to have the school with the most.
We don’t have to have the school that offers the most. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to be that.”
That’s not just coach-speak. It’s a philosophy.
Smart doesn’t want players choosing Georgia because of the biggest paycheck. He wants them to come for the culture, the development, the winning tradition - all the things that have made Georgia a powerhouse and a pipeline to the NFL.
That mindset is especially relevant when you look at Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class. While it still ranks among the nation's best, it’s tied for the lowest-rated class since Smart took over in 2016.
And for the first time under his watch, the Bulldogs landed just two top-50 national prospects. That’s a noticeable dip for a program that signed the No. 1 class in 2024 and followed it up with the No. 2 group in 2025.
But the story isn’t just about rankings - it’s about where the talent is coming from and how Georgia is building its roster.
Out of the 49 blue-chip recruits in the state of Georgia this cycle, the Bulldogs signed 12 - more than double the next closest school, Alabama, which landed five. That’s a clear indicator that Smart is leaning into his in-state connections.
Seventeen of Georgia’s 31 signees in the 2026 class are from the Peach State. That’s a shift from the 2024 class, where only 10 signees were in-state players.
Still, when it came to the very top of the talent pool, Georgia didn’t dominate. Only two of the top 10 in-state prospects signed with the Bulldogs.
Alabama grabbed three, including five-star talents Xavier Griffin and Jorden Edmonds. Texas Tech - one of the more aggressive programs in the NIL space - pulled in five-star defensive end Ladamian Guyton from Savannah.
That’s where Smart’s comments about NIL hit home. Georgia isn’t looking to outbid everyone. They’re looking for players who fit - players who want to be Bulldogs for more than just the money.
“When we go offer guys NIL, I got to have the competitive nature to do it,” Smart said. “Do I love it?
No, I don’t. I don’t love it.
I don’t love having to talk about money, but I do love winning.”
And winning still requires talent. Smart knows that.
But it also requires retention - something Georgia has quietly done better than most. Of the 14 players who transferred out this offseason, only four were from Georgia high schools.
That’s a telling stat. Local kids seem more likely to stick around, and in this era of constant roster churn, that kind of loyalty matters.
On the flip side, Smart and his staff were selective in the portal. Four of their nine transfer additions are Georgia natives, including wide receiver Isiah Canion - a player Smart admitted they missed on out of high school.
“We got a receiver [Isiah Canion] that we probably should have gotten out of high school. We didn’t.
He went to a rival school and he got better,” Smart said. “He got developed.
We think he’s really talented. We’re excited as hell about Canion.”
Canion isn’t just talented - he’s connected. He played high school ball with current Georgia players Rasean Dinkins and Isaiah Gibson.
In fact, 32 players on next year’s roster will have at least one former high school teammate on the team. That kind of familiarity breeds chemistry - and chemistry wins games.
Smart’s approach is clear: build from within, invest in development, and use NIL as a tool, not a crutch. He’s not chasing headlines or dollar signs. He’s chasing the right kind of players - the ones who buy into Georgia’s culture, who want to wear the “G” for the right reasons.
“We don’t go after necessarily the flashiest, biggest guy,” Smart said. “We go after the guy that fits - the guy that is a fit for us.”
As the sport continues to shift, Georgia is adapting - not by abandoning its roots, but by doubling down on them. Smart wants the best right tackle in Georgia.
The best pass rusher in Georgia. And he wants those players to know that staying home means more than just playing close to family - it means being part of something built to last.
“It doesn’t mean the most. We don’t have to have the most,” Smart said. “But we can’t do that without the support of the people in this state and the people that love Georgia.”
That’s the blueprint. In a college football world driven by change, Kirby Smart is betting that loyalty, development, and a deep connection to home can still win championships. And if Georgia’s track record is any indication, that bet is as safe as they come.