Since becoming Georgia's head coach in 2016, Kirby Smart has shown a recruiting prowess rarely seen, with 11 straight Top 10 recruiting class rankings -- nine in the Top 5, and three No. 1 classes per the 247 Sports composite rankings.
In 2026, Georgia's class ended up 6th in the nation, the lowest since Kirby Smart's first year (also a 6th ranked class) and perhaps a flag signaling what was to come in the new era of money in college sports.
At first glance, Georgia's 2027 class looks bleak, currently ranked 18th and with no real hope to jump into the Top 10 without a lot of help from unexpected flips. But this slide isn't unexpected, nor is it the problem that many looking through lenses of the past perceive it to be.
Because Kirby Smart's methodology isn't archaic or ignoring the new reality, it's finding the holes in the system, pulling the right levers, and being (no pun intended) smart about how Georgia spends its precious funds. Kirby wants players who want to be in his program and will thrive within, not poster boys chasing the biggest payday.
Fans and media who "star gaze" -- that is to say, spend an inordinate amount of time agonizing over how many stars players have in recruiting rankings -- have long been, well...wrong. The stars don't matter nearly as much as a program's culture and coaches.
Name another program in the country that could have turned a partically rejected walk-on like Stetson Bennett into a two-time national champion and multiple MVP winner.
I'll wait.
The list is pretty damn short, if not zero.
That's because success at Georgia has nothing to do with the number of stars next to your name on some website. Plenty of highly-touted 5-star guys have come and gone through the hallowed grounds at Sanford Stadium without making their mark.
Just like with NFL Draft prospects, there are no promises in either direction. It takes a coach, staff, and scouting organization to make their best assessment of a player and how he can fit the needs of the team.
That's where Kirby Smart is at his best.
Georgia's declining recruiting number isn't a problem, it's an indicator
The indicator is this - fewer misses, more surprise hits. That's where Georgia has excelled above all other programs during Kirby Smart's tenure.
Yeah, there are some "sure thing" recruits who deliver as promised, like Kelee Ringo, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith. But it's the unhearalded recruits who come to Georgia and suddenly find themselves becoming superstars that make this program special.
Some examples, other than Bennett, of 3-star and lower recruits who's names are ... let's just say ... pretty familiar.
Kenny McIntosh, Jordan Davis, Jake Carmarda, Ladd McConkey, Dillon Bell, Drew Bobo, Brett Thorson, Peyton Woodring, Riley Ridley, Eric Stokes...the list goes on and on.
All players who Georgia would have had a tough time winning games and championships without.
Recruiting rankings were never that important, and in this new reality that includes bags of cash, endorsements, and what amounts ot free agency, those rankings mean even less than they did five years ago.
The era of one or two programs dominating college football in both recruiting and in championships is over. The best coaches will learn to adapt, and will be selective and deliberate about recruits they chase.
Coaches like Kirby Smart can still let the chase come to them, regardless of what the recruiting rankings experts or star gazers say.
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