The secret to Georgia's football success under head coach Kirby Smart is actually quite simple. It is all about authenticity, competitiveness and coming together as a team. In the wonderful world of NIL, some players seem to overlook the big picture of what it takes to become great. They choose to cut corners for the sake of a petty cash grab. While everyone can make money, what is your brand really?
In the lead-up to Georgia's penultimate game of the season, veteran tight end Oscar Delp met with the local media to discuss his Georgia career and what it meant playing Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium for the Dawgs. He only has one more guaranteed shot at it on Saturday, assuming Georgia does not host a first-round game during the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff...
Delp reflected on his Georgia career, and what all contributed to it being so very special for him.
"It really all starts when we got here as freshman. With the whole NIL era now, it's easy to leave and go ask for a ton more money at other places. Any guy in my class could have done that. Just to have those guys that really stuck through it all are still here just shows how much they care about this program, and what it means to them."
Hen then compared it to what some of his teammates who transferred in went through previously.
"All those guys they shared in the offseason what it was like at their old programs, and none of them have said anything compares to what it's like here. It's just a brotherhood here, and it's special. We truly care about each other on and off the field. I think that's what kind of helps brings out game to the next level."
Here is everything Delp said while meeting with the local media ahead of Senior Day during Week 13.
Georgia will host the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday with Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate coming up later.
Oscar Delp reveals the secret sauce of what makes Georgia so incredible
Delp mentioned Zachariah Branch by name during his press conference. Not to say that he did not have a good experience playing at USC by any means, but Delp said it feels like he has been part of this team for four years now, and not just the better part of one. It just goes to show that Kirby Smart and his coaching staff look for the right people to bring into this team, no matter where they hail from.
It is a reflection of Smart to have his players totally bought in. Yes, having a pair of national championships on his resume certainly helps, but it also helps that he was once one of them. He played for the Bulldogs during a down period for the program. He got into the coaching profession after playing, learning from some of the very best to do it in Nick Saban and Mark Richt along the way.
What Delp's comments suggest is this program is not something you can microwave overnight. There are no shortcuts to being great, or even dynastic. No, you are not going to win every game you play or every championship there is known to mankind. It is about putting one's best foot forward every day and being about the work, especially when others are not about the grind. Delp gets this, so he wins.
It may not have been his intention, but Delp's comments at the podium are elite recruiting material.