From Adam Rittenberg:
While many Saban protégés haven’t come close to matching the master, Smart seems different. He leads a program that, despite being nowhere near Alabama’s historical success, boasts superior elements — more in-state recruits by capita and no major in-state recruiting threat (sorry, Georgia Tech).
Don’t feel bad about that, man. It’s the genius’ choice.
Get The Picture 
Get it done on 12/1 and everything changes….
If it wasn’t for an idiot side judge we’d already have done it.
87 was on sides!
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The Phantom Facemask! How bad of a showing for the Refs is it when we can argue over which devil-worshiping, seditious call is the worst?
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I see both your calls and raise you the missed blatant off sides penalty on the Bama WR on the 4th down TD pass to tie the game at 20.
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Thanks for reminders… I just woke up, and didn’t really want to wait this morning for the heartburn to set in.
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The “no major in-state recruiting threats” is a bit of a red herring. Sure, that’s true. But we have FSU right outside of southwest Georgia and Auburn right outside of west central Georgia (both of which are closer to those areas than UGA is), Clemson and SCAR just to our east, Tennessee up north, and even Florida at the southeast corner. Much of Georgia is within other school’s natural recruiting circles. Then there’s all the other schools who still come in despite all of that.
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Exactly Auburn, FSU, and UF are all as close or closer to recruiting hotbeds in Central and South Georgia and close to the state line. Clemson is on the state line.
On the upside UGA has always recruited the Carolinas, as well as central to north Florida well. Again UGA should push for the “home” team to host recruits in Jax. The WLOCP and Red River games are to very unique atmospheres that the programs should use to their advantage.
I do overall agree that UGA has easier access to talent, a better town, and facilities that should be equal or better than anyone in the SEC except for Bama and maybe A&M.
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I don’t like the idea of using the WLOCP for recruiting. I want the staff focused on winning the game and not having to entertain high schoolers during final preparations (also, that takes tickets away from people who pay good money for access to those tickets). In Jacksonville, they wouldn’t have all of the recruiting support they have in Athens.
I’m sure we fold in the Cocktail Party into our recruiting pitch when players come to campus. I would rather they see what they are getting in Athens 363 days a year rather than the place they will spend 2 days a year.
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I believe from comments Smart has made, Smart wants the chance to host recruits in Jax further it is easy access to the Central, and South Florida talent.
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Yes, getting very tired of the ignorant meme repeated by people with no sense of geography. It is more about how far a drive it is from home than which state you pay taxes in. There is no border checkpoint, or Berlin type wall between Auburn, Clemson, SC, or Tallahassee, into the happy hunting ground of recruits. And why is GT even mentioned? How long since they were relevant, Dodd coached on the Flats, in the SEC, and both stadiums had about 50K seats. Do your homework “journalists”.
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“There is no border checkpoint, or Berlin type wall between Auburn, Clemson, SC, or Tallahassee”
Others ask Why, And I ask WHY not?
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You left off Knoxville and, yes, there should be a wall.
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Don’t forget that son of a bitch in Michigan or that bastard at tOSU. They’ve both been cruiting here with success.
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Yes, we’re surrounded by a lot of the top football schools. But it seems to me the vast majority of GA high school kids prefer UGA as their #1 choice for college. Other schools skim off some of the talent. But the Dawgs have a legit built-in advantage that very few colleges in the nation can match.
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Agree, Westy. Georgia can only sign 25 per year and there are waaaay more than 25 top recruits coming out of the State of Georgia every year. Obviously Kirby can’t sign them all so many are going to go out of state and some will play for teams we face. Nothing anyone can do about it.
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“Sorry Georgia Tech” was right on the money. 🙂
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Yeah. I think the comma there was a typo.
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10 years from now Spencer Hall will do a column on Coach Johnson sucker punching Mr. Rittenberg in the Varsity parking lot because he doesn’t give two bleeps about the apology. It’ll be up there with Joe Kapp in Canada, Buzz Aldrin and the moon landing denier and Schwarzkopf and the peace protestor, lol
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You might as well have an in-state recruiting threat with AU and Clemson being so close.
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The key to in-state recruiting is the HS coaching networks. If UGA continues to attract in-state coaches to the clinics, coaching camps etc.. and doesn’t screw their players over (be very careful here), they’ll continue to keep the best kids home.
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