The future ain't what it used to be

I think Kirby is turning into Dabo. He wants kids who want Georgia which is great but it’s not how Georgia is going to be the top team year in and year out. There was almost no way anyone but OSU was going to win it all this year. His entire career, Kirby has said you can’t out coach great players. I don’t know how he could’ve been right about that and continue being elite without those players. Caleb Downs, Jeremiah Smith…both of them Georgia wanted and OSU got them. They both balled out all year. Particularly in the playoffs.

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Kirby is turning into Dabo

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I had that exact same thought this morning. Neither coach seems to see reality.

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Neither coach seems to see reality.

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But we're beginning to see the reality of what some so-called Georgia fans really are.

I'll prove it to you, or rather let you prove it to yourself. The next time a Jeremiah Smith is available, give Kirby a call and tell him you're dissatisfied with our talent and want to know what it will take to upgrade. Cut the checks and I guarantee you that Kirby will be more than happy to rent generational talent til your heart's content.

Until something like that that happens, UGA does not have the NIL funds to load the roster with top talent at every position. And it's very difficult to develop players when they bail if they're not starting by end of year two, so you're gonna have to go back and bid for lots more every year, and then hope you can coach 'em up quickly.

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We also have a reputation for turning on coaches.

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The school or the fans?

Both

But beyond that, $$$ is going to chip away at the advantages we have enjoyed. Not to say we can’t win it all, but being as dominant as we have been is unlikely in the NIL climate. Half our fanbase poo pooed the SEC Championship as nothing. Many of y’all expectations are not aligned with reality.
And before you puff out your chest and say another word, you need to be giving enough that Tanner Potts, Josh Brooks, Brad Bell, and Kirby send you thank you notes. If not, enjoy the ride knowing you are not stepping up to feed the money machine this has become.

I honestly can't figure out what some of these fans are thinking. In this thread they're acting as if Kirby no longer wants top talent? Of course he does but now that takes massive funding, annually. Every year the top athletes want more money, and then the ones behind them on the roster want more too. This is like no-limit poker where the biggest spenders can quickly run you out of the game. If you can't afford to spend at the highest level, the relative roster declines happen in one off-season. This is not Nick Saban dynasty college football anymore.

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Kirby no longer wants top talent?

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I don’t think anyone said that. I said he seems to prefer kids that want Georgia. He’s said as much in interviews so I’m not sure why that’s even questionable.

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I don’t think anyone said that. I said he seems to prefer kids that want Georgia. He’s said as much in interviews so I’m not sure why that’s even questionable.

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It sounded to me like you were saying he's intentionally choosing lesser talented players over more talented players, to the detriment of UGA football. And somehow that makes him like Dabo Swinney.

Kirby Smart learned his recruiting style from Saban; work as hard as possible to get the best players you can from anywhere and everywhere. That hasn't changed at all. What has changed is the highest bidder game that sometimes puts UGA at a disadvantage. Saying we take players who want Georgia is common coach speak for "We take the best players who we can convince or pay to come here, within our means."

As for Dabo, things that he shares with Kirby are he runs his program well, he's a good recruiter, and he faces limitations in his NIL budget. As a football mind, not on the same level as Kirby.