Brandon will start off the show by looking at some of UGA’s recruiting misses from the last few weeks and discuss how Kirby Smart can overcome it.
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I think the differentiating factor in all of this is coaching. Kirby is one of the Top HCs in college football, if not the best overall. His developmental vs "purchase" route of NIL and recruiting is the better approach. If you look at the last several National Championship winners, those teams spent more money on retention than HS recruiting. Kirby and Georgia will be just fine going forward, and I expect if the playoffs expand to even (16) teams, Georgia will probably be in the playoffs every year. But, like you said Brandon, the college football P4 landscape now is a LOT more competitive - especially outside the SEC. As an example, take a look at this information below.
The 247 HS recruiting ranking results from '26 and '27 (as of July 6th). Below are the only teams that currently hold a Top 10 recruiting ranking for both years:
Oregon - #3 in '26, #3 in '27
Ohio State - #4 in '26, #9 in '27
Notre Dame - #5 in '26, #2 in '27
Miami - #9 in '26, #4 in '27
Texas - #7 in '26, #6 in '27
Texas A&M - #10 in '26, #1 in '27
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Georgia is outside that group currently with a #18 ranking for '27. Obviously, these rankings will shift and change by December, but I bet that the Dawgs have gotten well over half their '27 class filled already if these 'commitments' hold true. Georgia may end up outside the Top 10 for '27. Kirby's job has definitely gotten tougher, and the competition is as well. But, he and his staff can develop and improve these players as well as any team's staff. A lot of how the Dawg's '26-27 season will end up depends on several factors: 1) Key injuries 2) Offensive production/Big play ability and 3) How Georgia is playing at the end of the season going into the playoffs. The teams playing their best ball of the season ultimately will be the last ones standing.
