One of the reasons Georgia has been so dominant under Kirby Smart is because of the immense depth they always seem to have. On paper Georgia once again will have a lot of depth this year as they return the second most starters out of any team in the country.
But Smart doesn't guarantee anything to anyone. Just because a player started in the past does not mean they will start in the future. This sentiment is something that he made sure his team knows as he warned his veterans that they are not guaranteed anything this year.
"I can't sit back and think of a time somebody got unseated as a starter," Smart said via 247sports.com. "I'm sure you guys could, I mean, it happens. It happens because of a guy comes in as a true freshman and just is better. You know, like it happens, but this is not all mid-years. This is guys that have been in the program, and just in year three, and other guys in year five, and the guy in year three passed the guy in year five."
Kirby Smart issues a warning that no Georgia player can ignore
The last thing Georgia needs is for someone on their team to feel complacent. If someone started all last season they may expect to start every game again this year, and while that more than likely will be the case they still need to continue working hard to get better throughout the offseason.
One way Smart can make sure they continue working hard is by telling them that their starting spot is not guaranteed.
This message should hit home to every player on the team because it is extremely possible to get passed by anyone on the depth chart. There aren't many programs who bring in more talent than Georgia, and some of that talent is always good enough to play in year one. There's no telling who those players will be either, so everyone needs to push themselves as much as possible because Smart isn't afraid to play whoever who has earned it.