One of the biggest losses of Kirby Smart's tenure at Georgia was when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis flipped to Vanderbilt at the very end of the 2026 recruiting cycle. Georgia had to sign their 2026 class with no quarterback because of this decision, but that was far from the worse outcome from this move.
Curtis's decommitment sent Georgia's recruiting class spiraling down the rankings. They ended up with the No. 6 class in the country which may seem really good, but that is the only second time Smart has signed a class outside the top five at Georgia.
This has caused rival fans to question if Smart has lost his touch. Combining that loss with the early struggles Smart is facing with the 2027 class has even left some Georgia fans wondering what is going on.
And while there is still plenty of time to improve Georgia's 2027 class, losing Curtis ended up being the beginning of Smart losing his reputation.
Recent struggles has put Kirby Smart's reputation under fire
Rival fans love to tear down the coaches and teams that are at the top of the sport any chance they get. That is where Georgia currently sits as no program in the country has won more than them since the NIL era began in 2021.
Even after all of that success, college football fans believe that Smart has lost his touch on the recruiting trail. Losing Curtis and signing the No. 6 class in the country is one thing they point to, but they also point to Georgia's early struggles in the 2027 class as well.
Georgia recently has lost three recruits that were committed to their recruiting class. Two of those commits were extremely impactful as five-star Donte Wright chose Miami and top 100 recruit Jerry Outhouse flipped to UCLA.
These recent losses have also led fans to question Georgia's NIL funds and if they have enough to compete with top programs in the country. Losing recruits in this manner indicates that Georgia might not, but the exact opposite is true.
So while some fans are wondering if Smart has lost his touch, Georgia's recruiting class is actually unfolding exactly how he wants.
Kirby Smart's "struggles" are what's led Georgia to vast success
Rival fans think Georgia losing these top recruits (especially when it seems like NIL played a role) is a negative thing for Smart's program. In reality the exact opposite is true though.
Smart has made it very clear how he intends to use NIL at Georgia. He will not overpay for recruits out of high school, but he will reward players at Georgia who have proven to be great players at the college level.
Rival coaches are using this against Georgia on the recruiting trail, but Smart isn't worried about that. His strategy has led to three SEC titles and two National Championships in the NIL era, so who cares what anyone else thinks.
Losing Curtis, Wright and Outhouse was not fun, but it's a price that Smart is clearly willing to pay to build the team that he wants at Georgia.
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