Two-Time National Champion Coach's Portal Class Graded Among Worst in Conference

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs received a C+ transfer portal grade as the program continues prioritizing high school recruiting.

Wide receiver Isiah Canion is one of the top incoming transfer players for this SEC college football program. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia football concluded the 2025 season with a 12-2 record and another SEC championship trophy. Despite this continued on-field success, the program's philosophy regarding roster construction remains an outlier in the modern era of college football.

Head coach Kirby Smart has secured two national championships by leaning heavily on prep recruiting and player retention. This traditionalist approach is the primary reason the Bulldogs recently received a C+ grade for their latest transfer portal efforts.

While rivals across the Southeastern Conference use the portal to overhaul their depth charts, Georgia remains selective. The program signed the fewest transfers in the SEC this cycle, prioritizing fit over the sheer volume of talent available.

Georgia football transfer portal grades compared to SEC rivals

The C+ grade assigned by Manny Navarro of The Athletic places Georgia near the bottom of the conference rankings. This evaluation reflects a significant shift in how SEC programs build their teams, with many now signing more transfers than high school recruits.

LSU, Texas, and Ole Miss all earned A grades by signing dozens of transfers to address immediate holes. In contrast, Kirby Smart’s program signed the fewest transfers in the SEC this cycle and only 34 over the last five cycles combined.

Navarro noted that because of this unique approach, "you have to judge what the Bulldogs do in the portal on a curve." Georgia added nine players while losing 15 to the portal this year.

The Bulldogs gained 6,445 career snaps but lost 5,501, a modest margin compared to the massive gains seen at schools like Arkansas or Auburn. However, the low grade does not necessarily signal a decline in talent for the Bulldogs because player retention remains high.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart's decision to rely more on internal development than on the transfer portal will be put to the test in 2026. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Georgia must replace 11 starters from last year's championship squad, but only one of those players left via the portal. Safety Joenel Aguero departed for Ole Miss, but the rest of the departures were due to graduation or the NFL Draft.

To address the vacancy in the secondary, Smart added Khalil Barnes from Clemson and Ja’Marley Riddle from East Carolina. The Bulldogs also focused on the perimeter by adding wide receiver Isiah Canion from Georgia Tech.

Navarro described Canion as a "pivotal pickup considering the turnover at receiver." Other additions include running back Dante Dowdell from Kentucky and edge rusher Amaris Williams from Auburn.

This conservative strategy mirrors that of Alabama, which also received a mediocre C grade. Both programs are betting that their elite high school recruiting classes can outperform the veteran-heavy rosters being built through the portal at LSU and Texas.

The Bulldogs will showcase their new additions during the annual G-Day spring game in Athens on Saturday, April 18.