There are high expectations for the 2018 version of Georgia football. The Bulldogs are ascending, driven by a strong recruiting push.
Can you feel it? That thing. That thing that tells you that, in a few short days, the boys of summer turn into the boys of Autumn Saturdays. Even the fans of the most destitute college football teams have hope. Some, in the SEC.
Georgia football isn’t one of those teams. Folks are lit with expectation. Like the first time a kid goes to the beach and sees the sea. Lit with expectation, and all of the possibilities. That is because of recruiting. Plain and simple.
There is no denying that the 2017 Georgia football team was special. Lots of dudes made lots of plays last year, and they aren’t there anymore. That’s a fact.
The ebullient fever coming from Georgia football fans, and those invested in the University of Georgia football program, is birthed from a knowledge that they’ve never gone into a season with this kind of team. That is because of recruiting. Plain and simple.
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What kills this writer is that it is so “unexpected’ in some circles. That recent recruiting wins for Kirby Smart, and his staff, are somehow unexpected. They shouldn’t be.
The name everyone should know is Sonny Smart. He was a High School Head Coach in the State of Georgia for 16 years. Seven years in Southwest Georgia, and nine years in North Georgia. According to GHSFHA, from 1988 to 2003.
That information would raise eyebrows for anyone from the State of Georgia. If you are from the state, you know how and why the high school network is so important. A dude who has spent his life as a Coach, and an educator, in disparate parts of the state, and has had success, and is respected, would garnish notice, and a knowledgeable hat tip.
Then imagine, if you will, his son plays for him, and becomes one of, if not the, greatest athletes that has ever come out of a South Georgia town called Bainbridge. That boy goes on to play at UGA, and wins the hearts of all fans.
That boy, Kirby Smart, after attempting an NFL career, embarked on a coaching career, that, basically, other than a stint coaching in the NFL, kept him recruiting Georgia, and building relationships, for his entire career, until he accepted his “dream job”. That would be coaching for his Alma Mater, and the team, most folks, in Bainbridge, and Southwest Georgia, schedule their Saturdays and conversations around.
Most who look at the ascendancy of the Georgia football program, from afar, with skeptical eyes, can be excused for not understanding, or being surprised, by Kirby Smart’s success, when it comes to recruiting “blue-chip” recruits in and out of state.
But, those who know local football aren’t surprised at all. It’s still shocking, though, because no one, nobody, thought it would get to this place this quickly.
Yet, it shouldn’t be surprising. That family has spent decades building relationships with coaches, schools, and families. And everything we do is a relationship business. Even day-to-day existence, if we’re doing it the right way.
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Georgia football has taken new leadership but from an old-school South Georgia way. It’s relationship-built. And those relationships are healthy, because it’s a good family.
Don’t be surprised, if this is the new normal. This family was built for this, apparently.
We’ll see if the Georgia family can handle it. UGA currently has the No.1 recruiting class in the nation.