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Kirby Smart shares on recruiting strategy, process for identifying players

Palmber-Thombsby: Palmer Thombs05/05/23palmerthombs
Kirby Smart Stetson Bennett
INGLEWOOD, CA - JANUARY 09: Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) and Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart look out to the crowd during the Georgia Bulldogs game versus the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The NFL Draft and recruiting are similar processes at different levels. Teams at the professional level are looking for the right combination of production and potential that colleges are. That’s why the guys Kirby Smart has recruited – and developed – to Georgia are such attractive prospects when their time comes in the NFL Draft. He’s diligent about gathering information, just like the NFL teams are. And if you listen to what the general managers have said, it sounds like Smart becomes a resource for them too.

“I think it’s evaluation and information. The more information you get, the better decision you make,” Smart said last week on ESPN when asked about the role of recruiting in building his program and the success he’s had that’s showing up now almost every year in the NFL Draft. “Our coaches are on the road right now. We want to talk to everyone in the high school program, from the custodian to the principal to the counselor. What are they really like? And then we want to get them on our campus. We’d like to see them work out. We feel like we make less mistakes when we watch kids and believe you evaluation. When you make an evaluation, trust it and believe it. Jordan Davis is a great example of that.”

Davis went from a three-star in high school ranked No. 406 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking to the No. 13 pick in last year’s NFL Draft. That’s not going to be the case with every three-star the Bulldogs pick up, but it is worth noting that the Dawgs have done an incredible job of developing those type of guys into potential professional football players when almost nobody would have thought that was possible for them coming out of high school. Riley Ridley, Eric Stokes, Monty Rice, Solomon Kindley, Jake Camarda, Justin Shaffer, John FitzPatrick, Stetson Bennett, Christopher Smith and Kenny McIntosh also all fit the mold of a player who was a three-star according to at least one of the industry rankings to get drafted out of Georgia in the Smart era.

Another example? Javon Bullard. While the story isn’t quite complete on Bullard as a Bulldog and NFL Draft prospect, he was a three-star ranked No. 526 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of Baldwin County. After a sophomore season that saw him take home a pair of Defensive MVP honors in the College Football Playoffs, he’s being mocked in the first round of several way-too-early 2024 NFL Drafts.

Who could that be from Georgia’s more recent signing classes? Only time will tell. Dillon Bell was a three-star in the Class of 2022 and found his way onto the field to make one of the more significant contributions of freshmen this past season. He reportedly had a strong spring to follow that up.

Meanwhile, in the Class of 2023, only four of the Bulldogs’ signees came in as three-stars according to the On3 Industry Ranking. That includes a kicker, a position that rarely ever has anybody rated higher. So, pressure’s on Joshua Miller, Jamal Meriweather and Kyron Jones to become that next three-star to All-Star. Add in Jamaal Jarrett, Justyn Rhett and Kelton Smith if you want – all three of whom were three-stars according to at least one of the four rating systems including in the industry comparison.

Whether or not a three-star comes out of every class from Georgia and goes on to be a successful NFL player is irrelevant. The fact that we’re even discussing it happening multiple times says a lot about Smart and the type of coach and recruiter he is. Credit to Kirby, credit to Georgia and credit to everybody involved. It’s impressive on multiple levels.

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