Georgia is the king of the SEC, and they are looking to win the conference for the third year in a row. The Texas Longhorns however are standing in Georgia's way as the most likely team to steal their crown from them.
Georgia and Texas however couldn't be more different. Kirby Smart wants to build his roster through high school recruiting and loyalty while Steve Sarkisian wants to buy the next great player out of the Transfer Portal any chance he gets.
Sarkisian himself said at SEC Media Days that he even pushed some of his players to transfer so he could make room for new transfers. That is the last thing Smart would ever do, and his recent comments about how he builds Georgia's roster were a direct shot at Sarkisian.
“I choose to retain," Kirby Smart said at SEC Media Days. "There's coaches out there that don't choose to retain. Their players choose to leave. They get encouraged to leave. We think that our investment in our player is better than your investment in your player."
Steve Sarkisian and Kirby Smart couldn't be more different
Which strategy is better? Fans love to pretend that spending an immense amount of money on transfers to revamp your roster every year is the best sign that a team is improving, but Smart and Georgia would beg to differ.
Smart likes to build his roster through high school recruiting and use his NIL money to keep his roster in tact every year. Sarkisian on the other hand gives up on his players and tells them to transfer so he can go get someone else that he thinks is better. Both strategies have led to Georgia and Texas having really good teams every year, but Georgia is the only one winning championships.
During the NIL era (2021) Georgia has won two National Championships and three SEC titles. Texas can only dream of that success. On top of that, Texas is 0-3 against Georgia since joining the SEC as well.
Sarkisian however is convinced that his strategy is the right way to build his roster, but Smart has the on field results that prove him wrong.
Kirby Smart believes Georgia's culture will always trump buying the next best thing
The best thing about Smart's strategy is that it creates the best culture possible. Smart forces every player to leave their ego at the door because the only thing that matters at Georgia is winning. No one cares about how much NIL money you make, all they care about is what you bring to the team on the field.
That is not the culture that exists at a school like Texas. They have to worry about locker room drama that is created when Sarkisian brings in players that are making an insane amount of money the second they step foot on campus. How do you think that makes the players feel that have been at Texas for three or four years that are making less?
Then there are the players who spend all season worrying if Sarkisian is going to force them to transfer at the end season. How do you think they feel knowing that their head coach could turn his back on them at any point?
Georgia's culture is clearly best, and that culture has led to championships that Texas haven't been able to win. So you tell me which strategy you think is best, because to Georgia fans it is very obvious.
Add us as a preferred source on Google