Podcast: On3 analysts examine why stars matter to Georgia's Kirby Smart

A wise coach once said: “It’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmys and Joes.”

Pure and simple, players win championships. You can’t outcoach recruiting. One program that has taken this idea to heart is Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs.

The Dawgs went on a recruiting run for the ages in October. The additions On3 Consensus five-star DL Mykel Williams, four-star Bear Alexander, four-star TE Oscar Delp and four-star OT Aliou Bah made national headlines. It also allowed Georgia to clearly win the month of October in recruiting.

Recruiting success is also a big part of why the Dawgs are the nation’s top-ranked team in college football.

On3’s Senior Recruiting Editor Jeremy Crabtree is joined on the Over the Middle podcast by Jake Reuse of On3’s DawgsHQ to examine how Smart has built a monster through recruiting.

Over the Middle with Jeremy Crabtree · Georgia's Recruiting Rise

Smart teaches masterclass on importance of recruiting

After his top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs throttled Florida 34-7 last Saturday, Smart spoke with reporters about why recruiting is paramount for any program that wants to compete in college football.

“You have to. I mean, guys, if you don’t recruit, there’s no coach out there that can outcoach recruiting. Okay. I don’t care who you are – the best coach to ever play the game. You better be a good recruiter because no coaching is going to outcoach players. So, spending time on the phone. Spending time with people at your house. Spending time with people when they come to your campus,” Smart said.

“I’m not with my family when I’m doing that. My family sacrifices so that I can go and spend time with other people’s families; so that we have good players. So, that’s 25% evaluation, it’s 50% recruiting, and another 25%’s gonna be coaching. But if you don’t recruit guys, you’ve got no chance,” he said.

Smart continued.

“Just go look. Look at the best teams out there that have got good football players. That’s the reason I believe in recruiting. I believe you better always be recruiting, always be recruiting, because if you’re not, somebody else is,” he said.

Georgia has nation’s No. 2 class

Like he noted above, Smart knows that you better be all in on recruiting, or else, some other team or coach will beat you to the punch.

His relentless commitment on the recruiting trail has paid off for Georgia since he was hired to be their head coach in 2016. Much like his former mentor, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Smart thinks with a great deal of clarity when it comes to issues like recruiting and how he should spend his time.

The Bulldogs have already reeled in a whopping 13 four-star recruits for the 2022 recruiting cycle and four five-star recruits, according to the On3 Consensus. That’s a big reason why Georgia is currently ranked as the No. 2 overall team in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.

Smart and his coaching staff live, eat, breathe, and sleep it. That’s the kind of commitment it takes to be the very best in big-time college football.