How Georgia went about winning national titles in 2021 and 2022 could be a thing of the past. This is not to say that Kirby Smart is done winning national titles at his alma mater, or even saying Georgia is out of the mix for one now. What is important to understand is with an expanding playoff field, as well as college athletics having a firmer grasp on NIL and the transfer portal, the game is changing again.
Georgia does do a phenomenal job of recruiting at the high school level, as well as picking up the right pieces in the transfer portal. That being said, Georgia is one of the handful of programs where good-to-marginal players get poached by lesser teams, and then become good-to-great because of more playing time afforded to them elsewhere. In essence, stockpiling players is a thing of the past.
So what does this have to do with five-star quarterback recruit Jared Curtis? Something, but not everything. While Gunner Stockton is becoming a star before our very eyes, as well as having one more year of eligibility, the idea is Curtis' obvious talent could offset more deficiencies around him. However, he plays private Christian school football. We have seen the issues Arch Manning has had...
Then again, Stockton did not play a high level of high school football over in Rabun County either...
Jared Curtis may have to play early if the does stick with Georgia
Look. He cannot possibly expect to start for the Dawgs right away as a true freshman in 2026. The level of competition he will be facing in the SEC when compared to that of lower-level schools in Tennessee is incredibly vast. Stockton has another year of eligibility, one he is surely going to use to help improve his NFL Draft stock. There is also the Ryan Puglisi in all of this. He needs to play as well.
As was the case two years ago, Puglisi may be squeezed out like Brock Vandagriff was with presumably Dylan Raiola coming in. Vandagriff transferred to Kentucky and played a year of terrible football before retiring. Raiola is now in year two at his father's alma mater of Nebraska. Puglisi can really spin it, but his decision making has to improve for Smart to let him see the field. He may not...
In the end, Georgia may need to gear up for the idea of either Curtis or Puglisi starting in 2027, with the other one transferring. Anyone with eyes knows Stockton is coming back for one more season. Why would he leave Georgia a moment sooner than he has to? Right now, Georgia should feel confident about Curtis coming to Athens in January, but he might be on a fast track to start sooner.
The good news for Georgia is Smart usually has a great eye for finding the right quarterback to start.