Georgia's Kirby Smart gets brutally honest about what he's looking for while recruiting in the NIL era
The recruiting landscape in college football underwent a significant shift when players began receiving substantial compensation. The college football recruiting landscape changed dramatically once players started earning substantial compensation. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for programs to understand who a player is off the field and not just what they bring on it. During […]
The recruiting landscape in college football underwent a significant shift when players began receiving substantial compensation.
The college football recruiting landscape changed dramatically once players started earning substantial compensation.
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for programs to understand who a player is off the field and not just what they bring on it.
During SEC Media Days, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart explained why truly knowing a player off the field matters far more than just evaluating their game tape.
"What I do think is important, or more important, that you hit on is it's less about what the tape looks like, okay," Smart began to explain.
"For instance, if we're going to sign four corners or four DBs, there's going to be a thousand DBs that are good enough on the tape. Let's not talk about the DBs that are above the line. The line is are they good enough to play winning football at Georgia? There are thousands. Let's just get the ones that care, the ones that are not transactional, that are relationship build. They want relationships. They want to be coached. They want to be pushed."
Smart didn’t shy away from acknowledging that players deserve to be paid; instead, he emphasized that he’s focused on recruiting those who are not only willing to earn it but are driven to keep earning it.
"Yeah, they're going to get paid," Smart said. "No coach is going to stand up here and say they don't want players to get paid. We want them to get paid. I'm completely comfortable with that. What I want is for them to get paid and for that not to change how they go about their business, that not to change if they're sensitive to being demanded excellence of."
Smart also noted that Georgia is committed to investing in players who welcome tough coaching without being discouraged by it.
"It's so ironic to me that you meet a parent and they're like, 'Coach, I really want my son to play where he's pushed and demanded of and he gets coached each and every day the hard way because I honestly don't think he can make it without that.' We all needed it," Smart said. "I needed it at 17. A 17-year-old needs to be pushed. It doesn't preclude them from gaining monetary value. They can do both those two things.
"But a lot of coaches aren't willing to do that. People don't want to confront and demand anymore for fear of losing a player. I would rather go get the right player that buys into that, and then I've got something special when they do develop and get all those reps."
When it all comes down to it, Smart is focused on making sure Georgia invests its money the right way.
