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Georgia - 2020's #1 Recruiting Class
4 years 9 months ago #81009
by SouthernDawg
Georgia - 2020's #1 Recruiting Class was created by SouthernDawg
I suppose that by now, everyone has seen this:
I wanted to share some thoughts about this #1 class and go into what this means.
First of all, let me be the wet blanket that says I don't put a ton of stock in the star system because I've seen far too many a recruiting class that was touted as "the big one" fall short of achieving results on the field commensurate with its rank. So while I am excited about the caliber of recruit that we're getting, and am thrilled that we sit atop college football's yearly off-season test, I reserve the amount of sugar I put in my Kool Aid. But, what does this really mean? If we're reading tea leaves here, how to we interpret this as Georgia fans other than having an opportunity to rub the Gaytors' noses in a steamy pile of _____ by reminding them that Coach Goober can't crack the top 5 and can only pull in one 5 star on a transfer? What does this say about where our program is and where it's headed?
The Now
A lot of us who have been fans for a long time are fed up with "the future" and are long ready for the now. I think Kirby feels the exact same way. What does this ranking mean about the now of the Georgia football program? It means that right now, the reputation, prestige, excitement, and winning mentality of Georgia is probably the best it has been in its entire history. That's saying a lot, but I don't think anyone would argue with me about that. This is why anytime I read the idiots - yes IDIOTS - online who still want to do the Richt vs. Smart comparison, I just want to jump through the screen and disconnect their internet cord. What Kirby has built and is building is something that the best-of-the-best want to be a part of. I will be the first to concede that Richt pulled in some good recruiting classes, but this is different level stuff we're seeing now. wKirby isn't playing for good. He's not building a program for "good." He's building a program for Championships and recruits are buying in. They're buying into the program as a whole, not simply the coach that may recruit them. We've had a lot of staff turnover in the last two seasons and the recruits still signed. We are seeing a program that has reached the level of excellence that in turn, attracts recruits like a magnet. Most programs would be wringing their hands over losing a recruit like Zach Evans. Not Georgia. They'll just go sign another excellent back.
When you really examine what Kirby has done in his time at UGA, it is nothing short of incredible. He's built a program for the now, as well as the future, but the now first. He's taken this program from a respected name, partially living off its past glory, and turned it into the elite of the elite. I remember listening to a College Gameday around 2014 right as the season began and the question was asked by Desmond Howard: "is Georgia as a program relevant any longer?" The reactions were mixed, but the general consensus was that Georgia had peaked in 2007 and had been a slow decline to above-average football. Those conversations and that reality is something the Richt vs. Smart folks simply don't want to hear, because its the truth.
Now things are different. Much different. Are those conversations going on anymore? No. Now Georgia is talked about on College Gameday as a team on equal footing with the other 4 teams in that top 5 graphic I posted. Now, no one in the country wants to play Georgia. Now Georgia is the team that sets the bar in recruiting. Now Georgia is a team where "good enough" isn't good enough. Now Georgia is a team that is stacked so deep that good players have to transfer out because good isn't good enough to get playing time. This is a culture that has been built. And I believe that the now looks very bright for us.
And the future looks even brighter.
I wanted to share some thoughts about this #1 class and go into what this means.
First of all, let me be the wet blanket that says I don't put a ton of stock in the star system because I've seen far too many a recruiting class that was touted as "the big one" fall short of achieving results on the field commensurate with its rank. So while I am excited about the caliber of recruit that we're getting, and am thrilled that we sit atop college football's yearly off-season test, I reserve the amount of sugar I put in my Kool Aid. But, what does this really mean? If we're reading tea leaves here, how to we interpret this as Georgia fans other than having an opportunity to rub the Gaytors' noses in a steamy pile of _____ by reminding them that Coach Goober can't crack the top 5 and can only pull in one 5 star on a transfer? What does this say about where our program is and where it's headed?
The Now
A lot of us who have been fans for a long time are fed up with "the future" and are long ready for the now. I think Kirby feels the exact same way. What does this ranking mean about the now of the Georgia football program? It means that right now, the reputation, prestige, excitement, and winning mentality of Georgia is probably the best it has been in its entire history. That's saying a lot, but I don't think anyone would argue with me about that. This is why anytime I read the idiots - yes IDIOTS - online who still want to do the Richt vs. Smart comparison, I just want to jump through the screen and disconnect their internet cord. What Kirby has built and is building is something that the best-of-the-best want to be a part of. I will be the first to concede that Richt pulled in some good recruiting classes, but this is different level stuff we're seeing now. wKirby isn't playing for good. He's not building a program for "good." He's building a program for Championships and recruits are buying in. They're buying into the program as a whole, not simply the coach that may recruit them. We've had a lot of staff turnover in the last two seasons and the recruits still signed. We are seeing a program that has reached the level of excellence that in turn, attracts recruits like a magnet. Most programs would be wringing their hands over losing a recruit like Zach Evans. Not Georgia. They'll just go sign another excellent back.
When you really examine what Kirby has done in his time at UGA, it is nothing short of incredible. He's built a program for the now, as well as the future, but the now first. He's taken this program from a respected name, partially living off its past glory, and turned it into the elite of the elite. I remember listening to a College Gameday around 2014 right as the season began and the question was asked by Desmond Howard: "is Georgia as a program relevant any longer?" The reactions were mixed, but the general consensus was that Georgia had peaked in 2007 and had been a slow decline to above-average football. Those conversations and that reality is something the Richt vs. Smart folks simply don't want to hear, because its the truth.
Now things are different. Much different. Are those conversations going on anymore? No. Now Georgia is talked about on College Gameday as a team on equal footing with the other 4 teams in that top 5 graphic I posted. Now, no one in the country wants to play Georgia. Now Georgia is the team that sets the bar in recruiting. Now Georgia is a team where "good enough" isn't good enough. Now Georgia is a team that is stacked so deep that good players have to transfer out because good isn't good enough to get playing time. This is a culture that has been built. And I believe that the now looks very bright for us.
And the future looks even brighter.
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