Paul Finebaum praises Kirby Smart after transfer portal additions of Rara Thomas, Dominic Lovett

Last year, Georgia and Kirby Smart went through the offseason without an addition from the transfer portal. Things are different this year, though, as the Bulldogs have landed two wide receiver commitments before the College Football Playoff kicks off — and Paul Finebaum had high praise for Smart and Co. for that ability to adapt.

Former Mississippi State wide receiver Rara Thomas and former Missouri receiver Dominic Lovett announced their commitments to the Bulldogs Dec. 22. That means Georgia has already added two more transfers than it did last year, and both will have a chance to make an immediate impact. Lovett is the No. 8 overall transfer to hit the portal this year, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings, while Thomas was the No. 21-ranked receiver transfer.

Those additions also show Smart continues to pull from his experience with Nick Saban, Finebaum said. In fact, Finebaum argued Smart might even be overtaking his mentor on the recruiting trail.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

“I think it’s getting to be cliche to say that he has stolen Nick Saban’s playbook,” Finebaum said on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on Tuesday. “We already know that. That happened seven years ago. The only thing that he has done is, in some ways, he’s perfected it.

“I think Georgia is about as well-situated a recruiting hotbed as you can find in America. He gets the most out of that and then he goes out and goes shopping. By the way, he’s not like the rest of us Monday, Tuesday after Christmas getting the bargains. He’s buying on Christmas Eve and paying full price, Cole. And I say that in theory, not in reality, although you never know in today’s world. He’s gotten some amazing players, players that he’s familiar with and players that he knows will make his program even better. And by the way, that’s hard to imagine.”

In addition to the two transfers, Georgia has the No. 2 recruiting class in the country coming in, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings – one spot behind Alabama. The Bulldogs are preparing to lose plenty of talent from this year’s team, too, including quarterback Stetson Bennett and linebacker Nolan Smith.

Even after last year’s national title, Georgia lost quite a bit of talent. But the Bulldogs still dominated this year, and Finebaum said Smart’s ability to find ways to keep improving is impressive.

“This program is going to lose a lot,” Finebaum said. “It lost more last year than I think almost any team in recent history. Quite frankly, they haven’t really missed a lot. Yeah, there’s been some. The fourth quarter of the SEC Championship game, you can quibble about. You can quibble about the first half of the Missouri game and maybe a sluggish performance against Kentucky.

“Beyond that, this team has been as close to perfection as you can find all year.”