Kirby Smart reveals the most important factor in keeping Christen Miller home
As four-star recruit Christen Miller wondered where he would play football, Kirby Smart wouldn’t let up. Sharing his thoughts on Georgia‘s 2022 National Signing Day, Smart revealed that consistency was key in keeping Miller home.
“That’s probably the No. 1 determining factor on a high-quality kid,” stated Smart. “You know he comes from a tremendous family. Consistency, when I’ve lost kids I feel like should’ve gotten, probably the No. 1 factor was did we recruit them with the correct consistency. When a kid honestly tells you he’s going to another place because they’ve recruited him more consistently, it makes it even more evident that you’ve got to be consistent.
“I’ll say this — we, and Tray Scott and staff, were extremely consistent with Christen Miller. It paid off. The message didn’t change, the consistency didn’t change. He valued relationships, and he saw in December what happens with guys moving all over the place. When you have a little bit of continuity, it certainly moves you up the board and the ladder in these kids eyes, and we’ve been able to have that, and sustain winning success.
“So, you tend to attract people that have the same mindset you do. I think Christen and Tray have a lot of that same mindset. Christen Miller is a worker. He’s one of the most impressive kids in terms of leadership I’ve seen at this age. He willed and pushed that Cedar Grove team to success. I value that. .. I’m excited to see what he could do.”
Evidently, consistency was key for Smart and company in convincing Miller to join Georgia. Now, the Bulldogs will be the beneficiary of the four-star defensive lineman’s immense talent throughout his college career.
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Moreover, Kirby Smart landed a bevy of talented players aside from Christen Miller. One of those players joining Miller is talented four-star running back Andrew Paul.
It wasn’t a one-step process, as the Georgia coach described the process of discovering Paul earlier this week.
“Andrew Paul is a guy we found out about and discovered,” Smart said. “Dell reached out to me and sent me his Hudl link. I got to watch him and I really liked him. Dell knew the kid and the family. He comes from a military background family which fits a criteria for us in terms of discipline and being made of the right things. Once we checked out all that, it became was he good enough?”
It didn’t take long for Smart to have his questions answered.
“He’s a 210-pound back, and he’s got a great demeanor about him,” Smart said. “He loves working out in the weight room, just tremendous background checks where he’s played, and the people he’s played for have a lot of amount of respect for him. Getting to see him play, spending time around him on the actual visit, it validated that.”
Ultimately, the Dawgs knew they’d found their man for all the right reasons.
Paul finished his senior season with 271 carries for 2,616 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also added 14 receptions for 208 yards and three touchdowns for Dallas’s Parish Episcopal School.