Kirby Smart discusses impact of National Championship on Bulldogs recruiting

The Georgia Bulldogs are still riding high off their first national championship in over 40 years. They’re keeping the positive momentum rolling as head coach Kirby Smart just reeled in the nation’s No. 3 overall class in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Team Rankings.

Despite finally reaching the mountain top of college football, Smart said Wednesday that he doesn’t think winning it all has had as much of an impact on recruiting as you’d expect.

“I don’t know that you can make (the national championship effect) tangible, I don’t know that you can kind of see that,” Smart said. “Certainly, the time we had spent on the road, there was a lot of congratulations, pats on the back, all those things.

“In terms of recruiting, I think it gets you in the conversation with maybe more national kids. We were already in the conversation with most national kids and certainly with in-state kids. It may validate some of the things you work towards but I don’t think it’s going to close the deal for these kids. I really don’t think winning the national championship moves the needle in terms of one kid’s decision or the other, it just might get you in the conversation.”

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Smart and his staff have signed four five-stars, 18 four-stars and seven three-star prospects coming off of their national title.

It’s an impressive class, but then again, Georgia has had top-three finishes in each of the last five cycles without a championship. They also finished No. 1 in 2018 and 2020.

Georgia added four-star defensive lineman Christen Miller, running back Andrew Paul, and three-star in-state linebacker E.J. Lightsey on Wednesday.

Kirby Smart calls recruiting propaganda

During Wednesday’s National Signing Day Press Conference, Kirby Smart discussed NIL. It’s an issue he does believe impacts the college football recruiting process in a major way.

“You used to be sold championships, sold facilities,” Smart said. “Development, certainly, was the primary sell. Now, development has taken a step back, which it shouldn’t. It shouldn’t. And facilities. Academics. What we can do for your life after football. Those things have taken a back burner to NIL for a lot of people.

“And once you explain to the kid that we can’t set that up, we can’t promise that. But what people are doing is they’re validating their NIL by showing what their current roster makes. Showing what their current players are able to do. The more marketable the players, the dollar signs fall in these young parents’ and kids’ minds. And I think sometimes they’re getting misled to numbers that are actually out there. And it becomes propaganda,” the Georgia head coach said.

Smart continued his tirade against NIL-based recruiting, which he believes will have a long-term effect on player development.

“Which, recruiting is always propaganda, right?! It’s how you use it. The sell when you’re selling the development of a young man – Jordan Davis. You’re selling what he became. That’s much more enjoyable to sell than what he made in NIL,” Smart said.

“Because number one–you can’t guarantee that. Number two, to each kid it may apply differently. Some guys are in developmental positions and they’re not gonna work as hard. I’m not of the opinion kids should be making decisions based on that. And you’re probably recruiting the wrong guy if that’s all they’re making their decision based on.”