Skepticism has always followed Kirby Smart’s younger class, and the player retention over the transfer portal culture he has built at Georgia.
In a college football era where top teams rely too much on the transfer portal for a one- or two-year quick fix at almost every position, Bulldogs head coach Smart likes to keep it old school. The Nick Saban way.
The only problem?
Portal-reliant teams keep getting the upper hand on Georgia’s younger roster.
Two consecutive SEC Championships, and yet experienced transfer quarterbacks – first Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard in 2024, then Ole Miss‘ Trinidad Chambliss in 2025 – have been the one curveball that outsed Georgia from the playoffs.
The point was one everyone wanted Smart to address at the SEC Media Days, and he came prepared.
Kirby Smart Dismisses Quick Transfer Portal Fixes Entirely
GettyGeorgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart reveals philosphy on high school recruiting, transfer portal.
Smart hears the noise, but chooses to ignore it.
“We’re young, but it’s not an excuse. We’re going to be young every year because we still believe in a high school model,” Smart said Tuesday at SEC media days.
Smart has stayed true to his philosophy multiple times this offseason, exiting bidding wars early for hot portal players like Cam Coleman and Jordan Seaton.
Georgia retained 26 of 27 members of its 2025 recruiting class, which ranked second nationally and included four five-stars. The only player lost was cornerback Dominick Kelly, a four-star who transferred to Ohio State.
The Bulldogs also still have the majority of the 30 players from its 2024 class, including all 11 who were ranked in the top 100.
Even this offseason, Smart’s staffers only brought in nine transfers total this cycle, only for the positions that absolutely required it.
“I choose to retain,” Smart asserted. “We think that our investment in our player is better than your investment in your player that I would get from you in the portal. So we just keep thinking that if we pour it into our guys, that our development is going to be better than taking a guy that’s second, third, fourth year, that somebody else developed.”
Smart sent a clear message to every recruit in the country: Georgia would rather watch talent develop than burn money in NIL bidding wars.
Money was Never the Problem
GettyGeorgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart reveals philosphy on high school recruiting, transfer portal.
Backing away from NIL pitches doesn’t mean UGA has financial restrictions. It’s purely how Smart runs his tight ship.
“There’s never been something that I asked our administration to do about a number to go to, to get a player out of the portal or get a player in high school that they weren’t willing to do,” Smart said.
“That’s probably more in-house for us philosophically, how we want our roster to look, how we want our money to be spread across. High school players nowadays aren’t any cheaper than portal players. Especially good players. But we put our money where we think it’s best, and to put the best product we can on the field.”
That “best product” gets put to the test all over again come September. Third time’s the charm, and everyone in Athens is counting on it to deliver a national championship.
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