Over 75 percent of Georgia's roster is made up of blue-chip recruits.
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Indeed.
Go, Dawgs!
The biggest difference between Coach Richt and Coach Smart is the difference between top 10 recruiting classes and top 5 classes. Top tens win 10 games, top fives win championships.
I don't think so. Auburn (2004, 2010) and Clemson (2016, 2018) had 3 titles plus an undefeated season without regular top 5 classes. Richt's main problem was that he didn't prioritize OL and DL recruiting enough. He put way more effort into getting DBs and WRs than he did dominant NTs and LTs. It got so bad that at one point he had only about 6 or 7 viable OLs on the depth chart. Not great or even good. Merely viable to play in SEC games. So UGA's "rotation" in that era would be to take a guy who started at OT and have him also play backup at guard. UGA's switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense actually made things worse because it is harder to find 1 dominant 330 lb. NT like Jordan Davis than 2-3 pretty good 275-295 lb. DTs.
Richt also didn't sign enough players. For most of his tenure, UGA was below the 85 scholarship limit. Fans were even like "good grief man, why not just raid AAC, lesser ACC and lesser Big 12 programs for their 3 star commits, especially on the OL and DL, just to provide depth."
So while Smart's recruiting dominance has certainly been useful, strictly speaking it isn't necessary to win titles.
Richt's problem was his loyalty to Willie Martinez (DC)...not so much the talent. They had talent, but that rubber band defense crap and lack of a solid DC, cost em a Natty or two. If they had had a decent defensive coordinater after VanGorder left, they would have been extremely tough to beat.
Pruitt was too late to save Richt. If they had been able to lure Smart away from BAMA or Muschamp from Texas, when they tried to get one of them as DC...after the Martinez Fire and before the Grantham hire...there's a good chance Richt would still be at UGA, sporting 3 or 4 championships, right now. Saban and Brown gave both guys hefty raises to keep em. Brown made Muschamp HC-in-waiting, similar to Bowden's move to make Jimbo Fisher HC-in-waiting to discourage him from making a lateral move to another School.
Timing and opportunity mixed with a little luck, and Richt's Dawgs would at the very least, be tied with BAMA on the post 2000 Championship tally.
I also believe that he took his eye off the ball during his Wife's battle with cancer. Understandably so. I dealt with the same thing, with my Wife. What are ya gonna do? It is what it is.
