Kirby Smart’s recruiting numbers have dipped, but Georgia’s approach still looks like the one built to survive college football’s new money era.
The Bulldogs’ 2026 class finished sixth nationally, their lowest finish since Smart’s first year in Athens, when Georgia also landed sixth. The 2027 group is sitting 18th right now, and without a wave of unexpected flips, it does not look like a class that will crash the Top 10.
On the surface, that can feel like a warning sign. In reality, it looks more like a shift in how Georgia is choosing to operate.
Smart has not suddenly forgotten how to recruit. He appears to be using the system differently, leaning into the realities of a sport where money, endorsements and something close to free agency now shape the landscape.
The goal is not to chase every big-name prospect or build around players who are only looking for the highest payday. It is to target the ones who actually fit the program and will thrive in it.
That matters because star ratings have never told the whole story in Athens. Georgia’s success under Smart has been defined as much by development and fit as by pure recruiting pedigree.
Stetson Bennett is the clearest example. A partially rejected walk-on became a two-time national champion and a multiple MVP winner.
That kind of outcome is not supposed to happen often, if at all.
And Bennett is hardly the only one. Georgia has turned plenty of lower-rated prospects into major contributors, players who became familiar names once they got into the program.
Kenny McIntosh, Jordan Davis, Jake Carmarda, Ladd McConkey, Dillon Bell, Drew Bobo, Brett Thorson, Peyton Woodring, Riley Ridley and Eric Stokes all fit that mold. Those are the kinds of players Georgia would have had a hard time winning games and championships without.
None of that means the Bulldogs ignore elite talent. Kelee Ringo, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith were the kind of highly rated recruits who delivered exactly what was expected. But the bigger point is that Georgia has consistently found value where other programs may have overlooked it.
That is why the current recruiting slide does not read like a crisis. It reads like an indicator.
Fewer misses. More surprise hits.
In a sport where the old balance of power is changing fast, that may be the smarter way to build.
The era when one or two programs could dominate both recruiting rankings and championships is over. The coaches who adapt will be the ones who stay ahead, and Smart has made a habit of being selective, deliberate and willing to let the chase come to him.
In Other News...
Georgia Fans Have A Kirby Smart Recruiting Problem To Worry About
Georgias 2027 recruiting class has not looked like the standard Kirby Smart has built in Athens, and the early returns are enough to make fans take notice. The class is sitting at No. 18 nationally, which would be Smarts lowest finish at Georgia if it holds, a surprising spot for a program that has usually been able to stack elite high school talent well ahead of everyone else.
The problem is not just the ranking, but the timing. By early July, 368 of the top 400 recruits had already committed, leaving Georgia with a thin pool of high-end targets to chase as it tries to climb. That is why the conversation is turning toward whether the Bulldogs may need to be more aggressive with NIL and, perhaps, more willing to use the Transfer Portal, even if that is not the path Smart has preferred to lean on. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Cole Carries One Of Georgia's Biggest Breakout Questions
Chris Cole is heading into his third season at Georgia with the kind of profile that usually makes coaches lean in a little closer. The linebacker has already shown steady growth, and after a year in which he led the Bulldogs in sacks, his blend of athletic traits and versatility has made him one of the more intriguing pieces on a defense that is always under a microscope in Athens. With CJ Allen gone, Cole is also being asked to take on a bigger voice in the room, working alongside Raylen Wilson and Justin Williams as Georgia sorts out its next wave at linebacker.
The bigger question is whether that progress turns into the kind of consistency Georgia needs from the edge of its defense. Cole still has to add strength and sharpen his every-down reliability, and that matters because the Bulldogs need more from their pass rush than they got a year ago. Kirby Smart has already pointed to Coles growth this spring and his improvement as a rusher, but the next step is proving he can carry that momentum into a larger role when the season starts. [Read more 🡒]