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Georgia in-state recruiting efforts come under scrutiny after latest 2027 miss
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Georgia in-state recruiting efforts come under scrutiny after latest 2027 miss
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Hmmm…not too worried at this point. As long as we can get the players we need from somewhere and get back in the Top 10 of recruiting classes overall then I'd be pretty happy. Dawgs currently sitting @ #23.
Dawgs have never been a dominating force in In-State recruiting as seen by your numbers Connor. The trend is a bit disturbing, but I don't see it as a new thing. What I see overall is that Georgia is struggling to compete at a high level in the new world of high school recruiting. The days of Dawg recruiting domination year-after-year are over. Sure, maybe we get lucky one year and end up in the Top 5, but I think that would be a chance encounter and not a trend. Really dominating high school recruiting isn't going to be a trend for any team any longer. Saban got out just in time. Money talks and guys will walk elsewhere. The competition is fierce these days.
NIL with no spending limits is killing college sports, especially football. These high school athletes have done absolutely nothing to warrant such money. I’m not saying college athletes shouldn’t be paid, but a high school recruit shouldn’t even come close to getting the same amount or more than the established star athletes already on the team. Most of them are excellent athletes, but they are playing against most players that aren’t excellent at all. That’s basically Kirby’s philosophy on recruiting right now, and unfortunately, it’s biting him hard. These kids are looking at the immediate quick buck, not the hard work and development that Kirby offers that will lead to a stronger financial future. I hope the recruitment gets better this process, but I’m not optimistic that it will.
Go Dawgs!
This sounds all Walt Disney, but you are NOT going to compete with "kids with character" against the well paid 4/5 stars of your opponent. Remember it was Kirby that said "you will not beat me with x and o's". Talent wins! Get with reality and play the NIL game at full throttle.
Nice work by CR doing the research to put together that chart. Definitely starting to see the effects of NIL and pay for play on where the best players in GA are going.
To suggest that not getting most of the top players in GA is not hurting UGA on the field is ostrich thinking. We are seeing the trend in recruiting and on the field. UGA's recruiting class in '25 nor team in '25 were top 5.
As for recruit Gilbert, have seen him listed as 170 lb. He may be talented but he is not an SEC player at S (or CB) at 170 lb. That means he will need at least 1 year to build himself into a player who can compete on the field. One year with no ROI on his NIL. It will be interesting to watch how much he plays at AU Yr1 and how long he stays at AU before he shops himself again.
The real risk in all of this is Kirby grows tired of the destruction of college football between the pay to acquire talent mess we are in, and the inability to win anymore based upon merit. I can feel his frustration. The fun and motivation is being extracted out of him with each loss to inferior training grounds with bigger pockets
I think I'd be paying more attention to this stat and how well Kirby continues to recruit overall than worrying about the State of Georgia recruiting…
"Georgia continues to be a recruiting machine: Since 2024, no FBS program has signed more blue-chip prospects than Georgia's 62, according to ESPN Recruiting. "
The question is - Can this kind of success continue?
It's a tough situation. Development is nice but doesn't pay the bills for many of these kids. For some of them, it's a life-changing amount of up-front guaranteed $$$ that can immediately provide for their whole family, much more than they'll ever make with an NFL rookie contract, a gamble to eventually get in itself.
Different with NIL. His closing skills are negated 100%. It's all about the $ and he needs to adjust!
Glad to see Dawgnation finally spotlight what many of us have lamented for years. There is NO REASON why the top talent in this bountiful state should be leaving with such regularity!! Do kids in Gwinnett and Fulton (Metro ATL in general) not want to play so close to home? Pre-NIL, it was the Clemsons and Bamas hauling away top Georgia talent. Now it seems like any school in close proximity to an oil tower can come in and leave with a bagful of 4 and 5-star groceries!!
In Kirby's own words, you win with players. Either Georgia is going to have to recruit harder, or Kirby will need to compensate with better coaching to make up the difference.