Kirby Smart and Georgia Bulldogs recruiting surprisingly doubling down on youth at critical positions instead of Transfer Portal
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have done it again on the recruiting trail. National Signing Day wrapped up on Wednesday and for the 9th year in a row the Georgia Bulldogs logged a top five recruiting class in the nation.According to the 247SportsComposite they ranked third overall, second among high school recruiting, but 47th via […]
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have done it again on the recruiting trail. National Signing Day wrapped up on Wednesday and for the 9th year in a row the Georgia Bulldogs logged a top five recruiting class in the nation.
According to the 247SportsComposite they ranked third overall, second among high school recruiting, but 47th via their transfer ranking. That huge discrepancy from second to 47th in high school versus Transfer Portal recruiting is the widest gap in Kirby Smart's tenure as he and his staff are clearly doubling down on youth at critical positions heading into the 2025 college football off-season.
It's not a bad thing to focus hard on high school recruiting, as the teams who amass the most talented rosters (based on recruiting pedigree) are the only ones who actually end up winning championships. However, it is a bit odd just how reliant Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are going to have to be on youth in 2025 at important positions.
New starters for Georgia Bulldogs
As they always do, the Bulldogs sent an impressive class of rookies off to the NFL this spring in safety Malaki Starks, edge defender Mykel Williams, linebackers Jalon Walker and Smael Mondon, safety Dan Jackson, and many more.
And most years that would be okay because there would be a bevy of veterans ready to step in. That isn't the case along the defensive line and at the edge defender spots.
Georgia lost all four of their most experienced edge rushers to the NFL and the Transfer Portal this off-season, including former five star Damon Wilson who led the defensive front in pass rush pressure rate. Their two starting interior defensive linemen are gone as well.
That means,–besides Christen Miller (older defensive tackle)–the Georgia Bulldogs are going to be trotting out an entirely brand new set of talents up front on defense. Gabe Harris and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye will likely be forced into starting roles despite barely logging 200 snaps in 2024 combined as edge defenders. Xzavier McLeod will have to step up big time on the interior. All three were former high pedigree talents, but only racked up 17 total pass rush pressures last season between the three of them.
KJ Bolden will likely have to be the quarterback of the defense and every down safety in the Malaki Starks role this year. Raylen Wilson will have to figure out the Jalon Walker role in his first year really starting.
Beyond the many inexperienced second and third year players, there's very little depth on defense too–at least for a Kirby Smart defense. That could mean that we see some forced production from some true freshman in key roles in 2025 too.
Yes, Kirby Smart and his recruiting staff added four Top 50 recruits at edge and defensive line in five star Elijah Griffin (DL), five star Isaiah Gibson (EDGE), plus high four stars Darren Ikinnagbon and Chase Linton at edge too. That's nice, but they may have to play huge roles in year one, and that's asking a lot of any freshman, especially trench players in the SEC.
Focus on the future instead of the Transfer Portal
Georgia has brought in just six transfers so far this cycle, none of which are defensive line or offensive lineman, where they'll likely lack depth this upcoming year. However, if Georgia's starters do stay mostly healthy their talent up front should still look like one of the better units in the SEC.
And the good news is, despite the lack of focus on the Transfer Portal, Kirby Smart and his crew are always making sure the next recruiting class is stacked. Just this past week, while everyone was focused on wrapping up the 2025 recruiting cycle, Kirby Smart was hosting high four star Kendall Guervil, a massive 310-pound defensive line recruit.
It's clear Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are doubling down on youth instead of transfers. But will that work given their inexperience and lack of depth for this year and beyond? When Georgia's teams were at their best they were fresh off of back to back top five transfer classes for their national championship seasons. Now they couldn't hardly be any further from that.
Hopefully Smart's doubling down on the talent he already has on the roster doesn't backfire. It hasn't yet, but if the lack of experience and strength up front due to sticking with younger guys does lead to a disappointing 2025, the Bulldogs may have to rethink their strategy just a bit.
We'll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
