Kirby Smart Building Major Recruiting Momentum Through 6 Months at Georgia

Behind the scenes for nine years, Kirby Smart helped orchestrate a dynastic Alabama Crimson Tide run. Now competing against longtime boss Nick Saban, he appears primed to lay a significant foundation for his own sustained success as head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Following Mark Richt's 15 seasons in Athens, a new regime inherits immense expectations to vault the team into national championship contention. 

Smart, who won four titles as Alabama's defensive coordinator, should understand as well as anyone what consistent recruiting victories can do for a program's long-term outlook. The Crimson Tide have signed six consecutive No. 1 classes, stockpiling talent that helped Saban become the first head coach to make multiple College Football Playoff appearances.

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"It's huge for him to bring such an amazing background to Georgia because that makes it much easier for players to buy in," Bulldogs commit Richard LeCounte III told Bleacher Report. "He helped put a bunch of guys into the NFL at Alabama and was a big part of that culture of winning."

The in-state standout, rated No. 2 nationally among safety prospects, initially grew familiar with Smart as a freshman. The two developed a bond as Alabama pushed for his pledge, though LeCounte became Smart's first commitment at Georgia on Dec. 13.

At the time, Smart was still juggling duties as defensive coordinator at Alabama, where he needed to ready the unit for a semifinal matchup against Michigan State. A championship clash with Clemson and Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson would follow.

"He came in and got to work immediately, while preparing for the national championship game. That's big-time," LeCounte said. "It was really impressive to see him quickly build ties with top recruits who were already committed to Georgia or considering a commitment."

Credit: 247Sports

We've witnessed recruiting classes crumble in the aftermath of postseason coaching changes. But Smart and a freshly assembled staff kept grips on longtime quarterback commit Jacob Eason—the 2015 Gatorade National Player of the Year—and sealed the deal with pivotal targets. When the dust settled on national signing day, the new Georgia regime claimed college football's No. 7 talent haul.

Smart picked up a pair of 5-star prospects down the stretch, landing No. 1 tight end Isaac Nauta and No. 1 athlete Mecole Hardman Jr. He targeted both players, each considered top-15 overall recruits in the 2016 class, in some capacity while at Alabama.

As Nauta explained on VSporto's SEC Recruiting Buzz (via Kipp Adams of 247Sports):

"

I have known Kirby for a long time, just going through the recruiting process, so I am comfortable with him. I like the vision that he has. They have really been emphasizing, me, throughout the time that they have been in office, that they really want to use the tight end, and they got big plans for my position.

"

While Smart emerged as the face of Georgia's signing-day success, his efforts to assemble a competent, accomplished corps of assistants resonated with recruits. 

"I think the marriage between [Hardman] and [defensive coordinator Mel] Tucker is critical, because Coach Tucker is a great developer of DBs and can teach Mecole a lot of things that he needs to learn as far as defensive back," Smart said on signing day, according to Dawg Nation's Michael Carvell.

Tucker, who served on the Crimson Tide staff alongside Smart last season, spent parts of seven years as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. He also served as the Jacksonville Jaguars' interim head coach in 2011. But he's hardly alone as an impact personnel member in Athens.

A staff hire also won over Eason, who seriously considered the Florida Gators and Washington Huskies after Richt's departure. His father, Tony Eason, told Jeff Sentell of Dawg Nation the addition of offensive line coach Sam Pittman played a pivotal role as their decision-making process progressed:

"

The best O-line coach coming to Georgia was huge. You look at what’s going on right now in football with concussions. You get three of four concussions and Jake is playing baseball. We don’t want that. He’s a football guy. Getting Pittman really put the nail in the coffin. After that, that was it. We were there. He was going to Georgia.

"

Still months away from leading the Bulldogs into SEC battles, Smart's exuberance and staff selections resonate on a widespread level in a hotly contested recruiting landscape.

"Guys are following Coach Smart. It starts with him," 2017 quarterback commit Jake Fromm told Bleacher Report. "He's really personable and hands-on with everything. The energy and enthusiasm he brings really trickles down to the staff and to us commits. It gets everyone excited to go out and recruit top players."

Fromm, who flipped his pledge from Alabama in March, is another Peach State product. Like Nauta, Hardman and LeCounte, the Elite 11 finalist found a fit near home.

"We have an opportunity to win a ton of games if guys from Georgia decide to represent their state," Fromm said. 

The region routinely produces some of America's premier prospects and boasts a deep stockpile of talent. Naturally, it's become fertile territory for coaches in Athens and beyond.

"When you look at all the rosters in the SEC, that’s the one common theme is every team in the SEC is coming to the state of Georgia to get players," Smart said on signing day. "It’s critical for us to be successful to get good players out of our state."

LeCounte and Fromm give the Bulldogs two of the state's top four prospects in the composite rankings, and Smart claims commitments from six top-20 Georgia recruits. It's a collection of 11 recruits that rates No. 4 nationally in 2017 composite class rankings, though a 5-star commitment has yet to occur.

Smart is still the same fired-up recruiter he was in Tuscaloosa, according to LeCounte, but his outlook adjusted since relocating to an SEC rival.

"The message was pretty much the same as it was at Alabama—come make big plays and compete for national championships—but it became about representing my home state," he said. "There are a lot of guys who've left home and won championships somewhere else in the SEC, but I think with this staff we can capitalize and make sure they stay here to build something special at Georgia."

"

Man Oh Man  pic.twitter.com/RGIuT7iGQq

— Richard LeCounte III (@LilEasy_35) May 3, 2016"

LeCounte and fellow Georgia pledges are well underway with peer recruiting. The state's top uncommitted targets include Pace Academy offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, Vidalia Comprehensive High School linebacker Nate McBride, Norcross High School edge-rusher Robert Beal, Newton High School receiver Jeremiah Holloman and Grayson High School defensive backs Deangelo Gibbs and Jamyest Williams.

"It's a new era at UGA. Coach Smart is doing something exciting," Williams said. "I've talked to Georgia's players about it. It's the whole demeanor of the team. They're more physical and more motivated to work hard."

This echoes the sentiment of LeCounte, who believes these fresh vibes were necessary for progression toward title contention at Georgia.

"It's time to get over the hump and consistently win more than 10 games a year," he said. "We need to amplify the intensity compared to past years and I think that's exactly what's happening now. Coach Richt was more of a laid-back type coach—and that's not a bad thing—but I'm ready to see how Coach Smart handles the team."

Richt registered double-digit victory totals during nine of his 15 seasons at the helm and won fewer than eight games just once (2010). However, Georgia never cleared the proverbial "hump" LeCounte referenced, while SEC opponents Alabama, LSU, Florida and Auburn claimed national championships.

Philadelphia running back D'Andre Swift, a 5-star talent who is high on the Bulldogs, expects the university will enter a frenzy if Georgia can elevate itself in the conference hierarchy.

"Everybody in Athens loves Georgia football. It's easy to tell. You can't beat that atmosphere for a spring game," he said. "Coach Smart is doing some great things with the program right now. I believe they're up-and-coming."

Name	High School	Class	Ranking
Jacob Eason	Lake Stevens (WA)	2016	No. 2 pro-style QB / No. 5 overall
Isaac Nauta	IMG Academy (FL)	2016	No. 1 TE / No. 12 overall
Mecole Hardman Jr.	Elbert County (GA)	2016	No. 1 ATH / No. 13 overall
Richard LeCounte III	Liberty County (GA)	2017	No. 2 S / No. 37 overall
Jake Fromm	Houston County (GA)	2017	No. 3 pro-style QB / No. 41 overall
Julian Rochester	McEachern (GA)	2016	No. 10 DT / No. 68 overall
Ben Cleveland	Stephens County (GA)	2016	No. 10 OT / No. 92 overall
William Poole III	Hapeville Charter (GA)	2017	No. 10 CB / No. 95 overall
D'Antne Demery	Brunswick (GA)	2017	No. 17 OT / No. 100 overall

For nearly a decade, Smart's sales pitch centered around recently fashioned championship rings at Alabama. He still has his hardware. But Smart earned that bling elsewhere, and he understands it's imperative to sell a new brand with the Bulldogs, especially when he's butting heads with his old boss for potentially program-altering athletes.

"I’m not going to sit there and attack [Saban] and his character when he’s got four out of the last however many national championships. I don’t think that’s the way [to recruit]. You sell what you have. You sell your strongest points. I think that’s what we sold in recruiting," he said shortly after putting a bow on a well-balanced 2016 recruiting class.

Smart accomplished quite a dual feat this past winter, securing a national title in Tuscaloosa and a promising group of players in Athens. Now that he has a full cycle and an acclimated staff in tow, expect more building blocks to come into place for 2017 and beyond.

"This is just the beginning," LeCounte said. "If guys keep buying into what Coach Smart wants to do and decide to join us at Georgia, we have big things coming."

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.

Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.