Kirby Smart weighs in on recruiting at Cocktail Party

College football fans know the NCAA rulebook seems to never end. They also know a lot of the rules surrounding college football recruiting don’t seem to make a lot of sense. However, one rule doesn’t make complete sense according to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

It’s an NCAA rule that doesn’t allow coaches to spend time with players off-campus.

Georgia’s coaches are allowed to give players tickets to the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” in Jacksonville, Florida between Georgia and Florida, but their coaches are not allowed to have any interaction with the recruits at the game.

Smart explained the rule to a reporter.

“Well, it’s against NCAA rules. So, you’re trying to get a rule changed that exists in terms of being off your campus and being able to recruit. There’s being able to recruit and there’s being able to give tickets to different things. So, people would argue if you can give tickets that’s recruiting,” he began. “That’s not recruiting to me just because you hand them a ticket. You don’t see them. We had recruits at the Georgia-Clemson game but we had no contact with them. So, that’s not really recruiting. That’s an invitation to watch us, which they can do that on TV. They can’t interact with us. So, I can’t change that rule.”

When the reporter asked Smart whether or not coaches have attempted to look at changing the rule, he just said it wouldn’t necessarily help to change the rule, for a number of reasons.

“Not really, because we don’t have time. We fly in, we prepare for the game, we play the game, and we leave. We’re gonna stay afterwards and hang out with them? You can’t really do that and you’re not showing off your facilities. So, it’s much tougher regardless of that. So it’s not as simple as well let’s just make it where you can recruit down there. That’s not really the answer.”

He’s got a fair point here and it’s understandable why Smart wouldn’t want to waste his time trying to change the rule.

Smart working his magic with Georgia’s 2022 recruiting class

It’s not surprising in the least bit that with the success the top-ranked Bulldogs have enjoyed on the field in the 2021 season, the success has translated into recruiting success for their 2022 class.

Head coach Kirby Smart has worked some serious magic in the past few weeks, flipping five-star defensive lineman Mykel Williams from USC to Georgia. Williams is currently rated as the No. 5 overall prospect in the On3 Class of 2022 rankings. Smart also reeled back in four-star defensive tackle Bear Alexander, who de-committed from Georgia back in June.

He took a visit to Texas A&M, but then announced on Oct. 21 that he decided to stick with Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs coaching staff in Athens. Alexander is currently rated as the No. 33 overall prospect in America in the On3 Class of 2022 rankings. The Bulldogs also pulled in one of the nation’s top tight end prospects in Oscar Delp. Delp is out of West Forsyth high school (Cumming, Georgia) and figures to be yet another athletic pass catcher at the tight end position for the ‘Dawgs alongside Brock Bowers. Delp is currently rated as the No. 86 overall prospect in America, according to the On3 Class of 2022 rankings.

One thing is for certain, as long as head coach Kirby Smart is at the helm, expect Georgia to continue to be among the nation’s elite teams in college football, both on the field and on the recruiting trail.