Breaking down Kirby Smart's plan of restocking the trenches while recruiting

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•06/29/23•

AndrewEdGraham

Georgia won repeat national titles in large part due to a smothering, dominant defense. And that group has been built from the front and back by Kirby Smart and Co.

That way of doing things isn’t changing, as four of the five commitments Georgia got in this June were from defensive linemen: Justin Greene, Jordan Thomas, Quintavius Johnson and Nnamdi Ogboko. On3’s J.D. PicKell knew it was inevitable that Smart would keep the defensive front well-stocked with talent.

“Like this is Kirby Smart just saying, ‘Hey, I still know how this works. I still know the rules of this game.’ And the rules of this game are: If you can’t move me, and I can move you, I win,” PicKell said.

Georgia already has incredible depth at the defensive line position on the roster.

The players Georgia currently features on the defensive line are as follows with national prospect ranking included, ordered as the players signed with the Bulldogs.

The 2024 signing class for Georgia — which currently ranks No. 1 in the On3 Industry Ranking — will keep adding reinforcements to that position.

Greene and Thomas are both Top 150 players and Johnson is just outside the Top 500.

“And so for Georgia, they’re understanding it’s still a size game, it’s still a depth game. And they’re adding more size, they’re adding more depth,” PicKell said.

But it’s Ogboko, who checks in at No. 1059 overall in the 2024 class, who intrigues PicKell the most right now.

“Because that tells you that Kirby Smart sees something that a lot of people aren’t seeing. And from looking at the resume of Kirby Smart, I’m looking in the jewelry box of Kirby Smart, I think he’s got a good feel for the way this kid is gonna trend. Big body, hasn’t been playing football that long. I’ll just say this: They feel good about him, I would imagine,” PicKell said.