The meticulousness Kirby Smart and his staff go through to make sure a recruit is the right fit for Georgia has been well documented over the years.
Georgia coaches don’t simply hand out offers. Much like an interview process for a job, before a player receives an offer to become a Bulldog, they must check different boxes before Smart pulls the trigger with an offer.
Of course, Smart likes to put recruits through their paces, just to make sure the athleticism and talent matches what they see on film.
That was certainly true with wide receiver Dillon Bell.
As UGASports continues its series breaking down Georgia’s freshmen class, let’s take a look at the Houston native and how he convinced Smart to offer him a scholarship.
Dillon Bell
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-0
Weight: 210
In February, Smart admitted he was looking for validation when he brought Bell to campus to get his first up-close-and-personal look at the Texas native last July,
His film was certainly exciting. So too, were his stats.
A two-position star during his career at Kinkaid School in Houston, Bell was productive as both a runner and a receiver.
Not only did Bell rush for 1,746 yards and 39 touchdowns, but he also caught 1,344 yards worth of passes for 17 scores.
With 30 offers, Bell was recruited by some to play running back, but when Smart saw him on a film, he saw a physical, fast wide receiver.
"Dillon is another one that came and worked out. He came through and he was actually here the same day Cole (Speer) was and he stood out. He was big, he was built like a running back. He has power, he has good hands, he has a tremendous work ethic,” Smart said in February. “He went to an extremely academic high school, which checks a box for us in terms of being able to handle the academics here at the University of Georgia.
“When we saw him work out, that gave us validation that what we saw on tape was accurate. He is a tremendous young man, so when I start to look for size and speed on the perimeter, he has really good size, he has really good speed. That was something that fired us up."
Bell chose the Bulldogs over Minnesota and Michigan.
"Michigan, Minnesota, and Georgia were all in my top three, and all of those schools felt like home,” Bell told Rivals.com. “I couldn't make a right or a wrong decision.”
Having good friend Adonai Mitchell already on the team certainly did not hurt Georgia’s chance with Bell, a three-time state champion in Texas.
Bell’s signing marked the second straight year that Georgia brought in a receiver with Texas roots.
Although the aforementioned Mitchell played his final season in Nashville, the current Bulldog sophomore played his high school ball in Texas.
“I’ve known AD since I was in middle school,” Bell told UGASports. “Our bond there is the same, and to be on the same field will be special. It’s a crazy connection that led me to Georgia.”
