Georgia football: 3 reasons Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches by a mile

Kirby Smart develops his players for success on and off the field

The next thing that head coach Kirby Smart does better than almost every other college football coach in America is developing his players. After the 2021 season, the Dawgs have a chance at seeing 15 players drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, which would be close to breaking a record.

This slide goes back to the whole, and it doesn’t matter what the recruiting rankings are because, regardless, Smart has shown with the right coaching, they can be stars. Look at Eric Stokes and what he is doing with the Packers — a good chunk of his success came from the development he got in Athens.

Stokes is just one story of development for Smart. He sees something no one else does in these players and turns them into monsters. That ability to help players grow is so important in college football and why many coaches fall off because the development doesn’t continue.

Look at Derion Kendrick coming from Clemson when he felt like no one else wanted him and turning him into a corner who had four interceptions on the season.

Development is something Smart strives to do because he knows not every 5-star and 4-star will come to Georgia. So if he can find a way to get the kids who have what it takes to put in the effort and get them the best coaches to help them along the way, he is doing his job.