From Dooley to Donnan to Smart: UGA’s Recruiting Process, Part II

In Part I of “From Dooley to Donnan to Smart: UGA’s Recruiting Process,” UGASports.com detailed Georgia football’s recruiting methods/efforts from the mid-1960s into the 21st century. For the following, Part II, we spoke with an inside source associated with the program, who reveals the Bulldogs’ recruiting process since the arrival of head coach Kirby Smart:

UGASports: We found it interesting when Vince Dooley indicated that the coaching staff from 45-55 years ago was wary of a prospect’s game film. We’re guessing that’s not the case now.

Source: “No, you’re right, not at all. Nowadays, and what has been the case for some time, there are roughly 15-20 workers—student helpers, graduate assistants, and the like—looking at and analyzing film after film after film in the recruiting office. They have been taught how to look at film and what to look for. They work under the guy who recently took over for Marshall Malchow [as player personnel coordinator/director], Matt Godwin. In recent years, they look at more than just film, like the Twitter accounts of the prospects. All the major programs have this same type of personnel—and, for these workers, it’s a great job for those who eventually want to get into coaching.”

UGASports: Briefly describe the process—from the guys who view film to the head coach—of a prospect receiving an offer based on his film.

Source: “Well, most of the film being reviewed is of kids a couple to a few years from graduating. So, for example, if one of the workers determines a tenth grader is worthy of a scholarship offer, he’ll pass it on to the position coach, who’ll pass it along to the coordinator if he feels the recruit is worthy. Generally, Coach Smart will make the final decision if the recruit is deserving of an ‘early-on’ offer. At some programs, the head coach always has the final say if a kid gets an offer or not—and I think it’s good for a head coach to have a hands-on philosophy when it comes to recruiting—but, at Georgia, sometimes circumstances arise where Coach Smart is not the last line when it comes to offering.”

UGASports: Whether it’s the initial guys reviewing film, or the coaching staff, at some point non-football-related characteristics must be examined, right?

Source: “Oh, of course. These are the standards: height, weight, speed, character, and academics. And, these standards are being considered for volumes upon volumes of kids, especially since Georgia has recently started to really go out-of-state (recruiting). On that, the staff usually—but certainly not always—doesn’t spend as much time on out-of-state prospects. For instance, they’re not going to recruit a three-star out-of-state player very often—and if they do, those players aren’t going to be rated at three stars very long.”

UGASports: Does Georgia have a recruiting board—like, literally a board containing prospect names who the Bulldogs desire, perhaps ranked by priority, divided into position, etc.?

Source: “Yes, you could say that. Their board is constantly being updated. The staff holds meetings based on the board, like maybe they’ll go over the 2022 class on a monthly basis, the 2023 class every couple of months. The board allows the staff to always be looking at their roster management, even considering possible transfers, guys who might be leaving early, etc., so they can buildup on a particular position which might be depleted down the road.”

UGASports: Speaking of the Georgia staff, what do you think was its biggest dilemma recruiting-wise last spring-summer because of COVID-19?

Source: “For one, regarding kids who were borderline as far as receiving an offer, the coaches couldn’t go out and view their spring practices. Secondly, and probably most important, there was an inability for kids to go to camps run by UGA. Without these camps, you’re not going to have as thorough of an evaluation. Especially for kids up in the air (receiving an offer), the coaches really need to see them live and work them out at these camps—and they weren’t able to do that for the most part. From a coach’s perspective, you try to get a kid to camp as early as you can, then you get them to the spring game, then have them come watch practice, and then come to a game(s)—but it all starts with them coming to camp first.”

UGASports: Under Coach Smart, the media is no longer allowed to view camps. Simply, what do the camps look like?

Source: “Man, Georgia’s camps are really something. They look like the pro combine and probably are one of the most organized things you’ve ever seen. But, they really got to be because of their importance. You know, there have been plenty of kids who seemed like they would eventually receive an offer from Georgia; however, they ultimately did not because how they performed at the camps.”

UGASports: Finally, we know the Georgia staff, as a whole, peruses the Rivals.com site, and particularly UGASports.com’s updates and stories on recruits. What is the staff looking for? Are the coaches actually checking out where a kid ranks, how many stars is he rated, etc.?

Source: “As far as rankings and stars, the staff already has a pretty good feel on a kid’s ability and if he could help the program based on the film-review process and prospect standards we discussed earlier. Stars and rankings are viewed as more so for the fans/viewers of these sites. An example of when a UGA coach might read an article or an update on, let’s say, a kid who has narrowed his school list, and Georgia is included: The coach is likely looking for what the prospect is saying—what he is quoted as saying. This is because often a kid will open up more to a recruiting analyst than a coach. You know, for a lot of these kids, it’s hard to say ‘no’ to a coach, yet they might spill their guts to one of you guys (a recruiting writer/analyst).”