After a disappointing ending to the 2024 season, Georgia coach Kirby Smart will get right back to work in the offseason. A relentless recruiter and over-seer of his program, there is no doubt that Smart will be working tirelessly to continue to build his program.
In the modern era of college football, Smart will first have to reevaluate his roster once current players enter the transfer portal. Although some players enter the portal immediately following the regular season, most significant backups will wait until after the postseason, sticking around in case an injury gives them a chance to play.
But roster management is only one thing on the massive offseason to-do list Coach Smart will have. Below are three of the biggest items that I, in my not-even-remotely-close-to-humble opinion, believe Smart should prioritize.
1. Hire a new Offensive Line Coach
Stacey Searels has been the OL Coach for UGA for the past three seasons, but I have a sneaking little suspicion that he may not be for much longer. Searels was hired when Matt Luke unexpectedly stepped down February 2022, long enough after the season that most coaches on the market had already been hired. Searels has had varying levels off success at previous stops, which made this hire feel like a short-term solution.
After an incredible first season in the position, Searels' offensive lines have regressed significantly. In 2023, the UGA offense averaged 191 rushing yards per game and gave up 13 sacks on the season. In 2024, those numbers moved to 129 rushing yards per game and 21 sacks on the season. The Bulldogs ranked 13/14 in the SEC in rushing yards per game this season, a shocking number for a program that prides itself on running the ball.
In the Sugar Bowl loss against Notre Dame, the Bulldogs ran the ball 29 times for 62 yards. The run game and play-action passing games are vital to this offense, and a weak offensive line completely hamstrings those goals entirely.
UGA has done a tremendous job recruiting offensive linement under Kirby Smart, but the development since Searels' has taken over has been limited.
2. Hire a new Wide Receivers' Coach
The UGA Wide Receivers were painful to watch this season. The unit was plagued by drops worse than a European in the 14th century. Current WR Coach James Coley is known for his recruiting, but the way the receiving corp regressed this season is highly concerning for Georgia fans, especially considering that this was Coley's first season in the role.
The 2024 version of Dillon Bell was a Dillon Shell of himself, highlighted by a brutal drop in the Sugar Bowl. Last season, Bell was a Swiss Army Knife for the offense but also showed versatility in the passing game, making contested catches on slants, back-shoulder passes, and screens. That play-making ability seemed to be missing all season save the late-game TD catch against Alabama.
Dominic Lovett also regressed in production this season from last, even with Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey no longer there to steal the targets. Lovett was expected to step-up in his second year in the program, but the improvements never truly showed.
Arian Smith has shown his talents in flashes and deserves credit for making some clutch plays throughout the course of this season, but his inconsistency in catching the ball was shocking.
Overall, the receiving corp struggled to consistently get separation and then struggled to catch the ball when they did get separation. A slightly more productive receiving corp would have made this offense so much more dangerous.
The fact that the team led the country in drops and that multiple players regressed in James Coley's first year in this stint as the Wide Receivers' coach means that a change is likely needed.
3. Don't Panic
Kirby Smart has always preached that the Georgia football program is bigger than any one person. This showed when the Bulldogs were able to win back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022 with a former walk-on at QB. While some programs may try to build a roster behind a star QB, Georgia aims to build a star roster.
The Bulldogs do this primarily through high school recruiting, while tactically using the transfer portal to plug holes in the roster. This appears to be the best way to have a consistently good program as we have seen mixed results from schools that build rosters through the portal.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin referred to himself as the "Portal King" after a massive haul of highly-regarded transfers last offseason, but ultimately had a disappointing season while losses to Kentucky and Florida kept them out of the expanded playoff.
However, Ohio State, another team that brought in several transfers this past offseason, is on the other end of the spectrum as they have found their groove at the right time and appear to be the favorites to claim the national championship.
Georgia fans may see Ohio State's success and want Smart to bring in a gob on one-year transfers for 2025. But Kirby Smart doesn't want Georgia to be elite in 2025, he wants Georgia to be elite forever.
If he continues to build the program the way he has, he has a good chance to make that happen.