Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart does not utilize the NCAA transfer portal as much as other coaches. Smart and the Bulldogs added four transfers in the 2023 offseason. Georgia lost 15 players to the transfer portal and one of Georgia’s incoming transfers, Smoke Bouie, also entered the transfer portal without playing a snap for the Bulldogs.
Transfer wide receivers Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett have helped boost Georgia’s wide receivers room, which now has a lot of depth. Thomas and Lovett have helped Georgia have a minimal drop off in talent when Ladd McConkey missed games this year.
Kirby Smart and Georgia primarily relied on traditional recruiting to add talent to the roster last offseason. The Bulldogs signed 26 commitments in the class of 2023.
Smart notes that there are serious challenges for all college football programs due to the transfer portal.
I don’t know anybody that’s got a good handle on it because you don’t know what the truth is. You don’t know where the truth lies.
Kirby Smart and Georgia emphasize having good communication with plays to try to understand what the roster will look like in the future.
We communicate. We try to keep open lines of communication. We meet with our players periodically and we tell them there’s an open-door policy to come and talk about things. We’d rather be in the know than in the dark. Sometimes we’re in the dark and sometimes we’re in the know, but all you can do is be as transparent as you can and try to find out.
Despite having strong communication with players, sometimes Kirby Smart and his staff get surprised when a player enters the transfer portal.
I think you prepare the best you can and you try to have plan A, B, C, D, E, and you put them in motion when the time comes.
Georgia’s roster management plan seems to be working just fine. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships are looking to finish a third consecutive season undefeated with a win over Georgia Tech.
The NCAA transfer portal window for football opens after the SEC championship on Dec. 4. The portal window ends on Jan. 2 except for teams competing in bowl games, then it ends five days after a team’s final game of the season.
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Every year, Georgia has numerous talented players that would receive more snaps at other schools where there is less competition for playing time. However, most Georgia players elect to wait until after the Dawgs finish their postseason run to publically announce that they will enter the transfer portal.