Georgia Football Coach Kirby Smart Shares The Secret Ingredients To UGA Football's No. 1 Ranking

ATHENS - How are the Georgia Bulldogs ranked No. 1?

Unlike other programs, Kirby Smart didn't build his roster in the transfer portal. He doesn't have the most expensive roster, either. To some, that would be a recipe for disaster. In today's college football we've seen teams spend crazy money hoping to build the most talented roster. They're loading up their roster through the portal with no patience for young high school players.

Most coaches need players who are ready to play right now. It's tough to build depth, and most college coaches would rather spend money on veteran players rather than invest in a young freshman.

That's not the case in Athens, Georgia. Kirby Smart's philosophy hasn't changed. He brought in less than 10 players through the portal and has consistently shown that he can prepare his freshmen for the big stage in year one.

That's why he's the best coach in college football. Kirby Smart told reporters this week that when the Bulldogs recruit, it's not always about spending money on the best freshmen. You have to be talented to play at Georgia, but you also have to be mentally strong. To love practice and embrace the culture at Georgia that many players run away from.

"We want high-character kids that want to be at Georgia. We look for toughness because that's what the conference is. But who doesn't look for toughness? We don't have these traits that are secret to us. We think it's more important what you do with your players than the players you get. We all have a pool of players. I don't think there's a huge separation, like some people do, between the players.

"It's what you do with them. It's mindset training. It's lifting. It's concept training. It's defensive schemes, offensive schemes. It's how you practice. It's the culture you breed in the off-season program that makes your programs different. So as far as identifying players we take - we want to take tough players that love football."

For most coaches, they need as much talent as possible to be successful. If they don't have great players, they have nothing. With Smart it's the opposite. They recruit tough, physical players who fit the culture. Then they develop those players, and more often than not, they get the most out of those players.

Three star prospects can come to Georgia and shine just as much as a five-star. It's hard to say that at other places, but other places don't have Kirby Smart. There's no secret success, but the philosophy and they way they do things at Georgia is why they're ranked No. 1 in the country. They're doing it the old-school way. There's no short-cuts in Athens, and under Kirby Smart, there never will be.

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