This seems a wee bit dramatic.
The pressure is on Kirby Smart at Georgia more than ever with another recruiting title.
Farrell’s take: FACT. It’s time to start winning SEC and national titles, Georgia. History shows that the team dominating in recruiting always ends up winning a national title. From Texas to LSU to USC to Florida and to Alabama, the recruiting dynasties always break through for a national title. Now that Kirby Smart has won three-straight recruiting titles, it’s time to put that together on the field. He came a play away from winning it all, but that’s not enough.
So, what happens if he doesn’t win a natty this year, or even next year? I suspect it’s much like Greg McGarity — as long as the money keeps rolling in at an obscene rate, Smart’s at Georgia as long as he wants to be.
That being said, I feel like patience will eventually be rewarded on the field.
Get The Picture 
I can’t fault them for leaving, but just saying if we kept our underclassmen OL + Swift and Fromm, this year would have set up pretty nicely for a run.
But I guess when you recruit this well, losing underclassmen to the draft or transfer is a given.
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I’ll believe it when I see it. It seems UGA to is destined to always being a bridesmaid.
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Eh, when it happens, you’ll probably find some reason still shit on it. You sound like you’ve got a lot of experience being a bridesmaid there Sally.
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I’m not a “natty or bust” guy. Come on. You put the best team you can on the field and play the best you can. Are we that spoiled? This Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first you’re last” shit has gotta stop.
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I agree with you 100% I also hate the “Finishing 5th is no better than finishing 120th” mindset.
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This and I’ll add I want the team to compete for the SEC and Natty. SO far Kirby has done that. Last season we finished 5th, and it was the a terrible offense that caused the team to stall. Since then Kirby has brought in a new OC, recruited a ton of WRs, and brought in a new type of QB.
That’s a guy who is fixing the problems.
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The ‘if you aint first’ stuff really gets annoying when pundits start talking about hot seats and the absurd notion that UGA would move on from Smart despite the ridiculous recruiting and pummeling of our eastern foes. The ‘all or none’ crowd are trapped in the moment with no sense of history, rivalry or appreciation for how good we have it.
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I hope you had that same energy during the CMR era (you may have; I don’t actually know(
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Does it have to stop from the fans or the players? Remember the players won’t play if they are not in one of the top 4 games, so don’t blame the fans for the National Championship or bust attitude.
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We need one, or two, really dynamic player(s) to emerge and lead the team. It seems every team that’s wins a title has them. Maybe Pickens is one.
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Maybe Jamie Newman.
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“I suspect it’s much like Greg McGarity — as long as the money keeps rolling in at an obscene rate, Smart’s at Georgia as long as he wants to be.”
Always about the $$$, right Senator?
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Bless your heart.
You actually think your comments like this matter to me. That’s adorable.
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Yep, when you recruit like this without a NC you’re an underachiever so it’s time to find somebody else? No wonder college football is so screwed up.
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Three straight recruiting titles? Did I miss one somewhere?
Oh and his is a stupid take and he should feel bad. We are well set up for a strong run, and it seems Kirby addresses the problems as they come up. Offense struggled last season so Kirby was on it during the off season. There’s a huge element of luck involved but our time is coming.
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But, but, after ’17 we were a cinch to win it all in ’18, then ’19 absolutely had to be the year. When Kirby was hired i seem to recall some folks were giving him 4 years to win it all or he’d be on the hot seat. Doing some quick maths it looks like this is it for Ol’ Kirbs…..
Mayor up top has it right.
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I wished we had pushed through and won it in 2017 because it was such a special run and so unexpected. Now, with the recruiting classes and expectations, it will be more of a relief. This mindset tends to affect my enjoyment of the regular season if I don’t consciously remind myself to enjoy each week as it comes.
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Agree. 2017, 2007, 2002 (and maybe 2012), proved we were as good as anyone and that is all you can be. The title winner isn’t always the best, just one of the best and in the discussion with a decent argument. I am sorry for those who need some title/crown/trophy to validate their worthiness, I hope they get it soon and can learn to enjoy some damn good seasons with much to talk about all year.
In the meantime, I want to win the East more than not, win a few more SEC titles, and be able to compete with anyone who lines up in front of us in any game. These are good times for UGA, we don’t have to envy anyone, and I wish more of our fans realized that. Hard to find many years where the one claiming to be the best only had some very fortunate reason to even think they were the best. That lucky charm will bounce our way again, but in the meantime lets know we belong in discussions much more often than many of those wagging their tongues.
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I agree that patience with this coaching staff will be rewarded. I also believe that we’re going to need some of it. As incredible as the defense is looking to be this fall (and it looks like it’s going to be absolutely NASTY), we’re taking a lot of leaps of faith on the offense. We’re counting on a transfer quarterback (or a freshman… or a former walk-on star, any of which are going to be in a brand new system with a brand new coordinator and brand new QB coach), a ton of freshmen at receiver, a new (albeit experienced and talented) offensive line with new coach.. we don’t have to be great on offense by any stretch to win with Kirby’s boys on defense, but that’s a lot that has to come together for Georgia in a short amount of time.
I hope I’m wrong, but I’m not sure I’m taking the national title leap of faith here in February when I look at all that. But sometime in the next few years? Yeah, I see it coming together.
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Maybe I’m an incurable optimist but, if the defense is no worse than last year (and likely its the same or better) and the offense is only marginally better, I think we’ve got a good shot.
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Well yeah! The team went 12-2 last season and one loss was in OT. Get just even a little bit better on O and……
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Alabama has just one national title the past four seasons, and that one was stolen from UGA by incompetent officials. The last time they were in the playoff, they were blown out by 28 points, and now Georgia has taken the recruiting crown for a third(?) straight year. Saban just had a hip replacement and isn’t getting younger; is it now or never (again) for Saban at Alabama?
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We have had better players than other team in every game last 3 years except 2 games, maybe 3 and have lost all of those. Throw in a couple oops games, but maybe next year.
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On paper, we are the most talented team in the country.
Excuses are drying up. Unfortunately, CKS’ incredible recruiting has created almost no “wiggle room” for him.
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I’m cynically starting to believe that the role of the University of Georgia is to provide all of the data for the left side of the bell curve/normal distribution to counter schools like Auburn and Florida State who get a lot more luck and have fleeting titles. Not to mention all of the good fortune that Alabama has had since 2008 even given where their mean expected result sits.
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I think that Kirby will win at least one National Championship within the next 2-3 years. But if he doesn’t I will not be for firing him. If Georgia becomes Oklahoma from 2001-Present, I will be happy as that will be better than any stretch we have ever had since I have been a fan.
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But Oklahoma has a NC to rest its head on. UGA doesn’t.
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Hence, “If Georgia becomes…” The natty is the missing piece.
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True.
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Could have sworn he already won an SEC Championship.
I guess that one doesn’t count if you’re angling for an incredibly far fetched hot seat narrative.
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I was at UGA from 1990-1994. I am very happy with how things are at present, with or without a natty.
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Wondering if I sat next to you in Entomology our Junior year.
Couldn’t agree more.
One fluke play in the MNC. A missed kick from an incredibly reliable kicker in the SECCG. A really bad OC.
Why wait. Fire him!
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Replacing “mediocrity” with SEC East titles against very weak opposition and mythical recruiting titles is not what Kirby and all this new money being spent was for. The rest of the world is not sitting idly by patiently waiting for Georgia to win it all. The barbarians are at the gate. If uncle Ed and a guy named Dabo can win, then so can Kirby…or some other coach waiting for his opportunity. This is about UGA, not the guy with the headset, or so we were told.
Senator…could be a reader’s poll. Will UGA win a NC with Kirby before a non-SEC team or Clemson does? Or maybe will UGA be the next SEC East team to win the NC?
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My take is the CKS has finally accepted that he has limitations on the offensive side of the ball. Monken knows more about offense than CKS ever will. I think Monken will either sink or swim this year for us. Our defense will be the best we have had in a long long time.
If Monken can get buy-in from his side of the ball, we will be really good. The offensive skill folks have to put in the extra hours this spring and summer. Sometimes the most talented athletes have a tendency to lean too much on their talent, and not enough on the hard work (repetition) necessary in the spread/quick read/throw offense.
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Well, I do believe you have to have success at the highest level if you want to continue winning recruiting battles. I won’t say now or never as it’s hard to know where the breaking point it and there is no now or never for me as a Dawg. I do believe recruiting will eventually fall off if we continue to come up short, though. It’s happened to many coaches including our last.
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And I get that some of the programs probably do it just to have some wins but I believe it’s hurting then even more. At least in the long run.
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Winning the east every year, beating nearly all our rivals every year, and being in the hunt for the natty every year works for me.
If that’s all we do for the next 5-8 years, then yeah maybe then we need to think about a change. Largely because at that point (10+ years in) the coach’s message will be getting stale – especially with no title – and it might be hard for Kirby to keep up the pace anyway.
But if we get a title within the next 5-8 years, Kirby can coach here for life as long as we’re still winning the east and beating our rivals 80% of the time and at least being in the hunt for a 2nd title.
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