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The transfer portal shows big differences between Kirby Smart and Dan Mullen
Say what you want about Dan Mullen – and there’s a lot – but the Florida coach knows how to get the best out of the transfer portal.
Arik Gilbert is the most recent example, as the 5-star tight end announced that he was moving to Florida on Sunday.
After careful consideration, I decided to commit to the University of Florida. This is the best situation for me and I am excited to join the family. 💯
– AG2 (@arik_gilbert) January 31, 2021
Gilbert becomes the sixth ex-5 star recruit to move to Florida since Mullen took over as the head coach of the Gators before the 2018 season. Mullen has repeatedly gone to the portal to add more talent to his list.
It also helped him make up for some of the recruiting losses the Gators have had in recent seasons. Florida is prepared to sign Class No. 13 in the 2021 cycle, one step below Clemson’s and Alabama’s in the world.
The Gators will have seven 5-star prospects on their 2021 list. Only two of them signed with Florida as candidates outside of high school. There is a very real chance that the best running back, wide receiver, pass rusher and now the tight end of the 2021 season have come from the transfer portal.
Kirby Smart takes a very different approach to the portal and uses it to build his team. For those who have heard about transfers, you can see that he is not a fan of the concept.
“It’s a basis of need for us,” said Smart before the Peach Bowl. “If I had my preference, I would prefer not to use the portal because schools like Cincinnati and Georgia shouldn’t, you should be able to go out and recruit the right kind of people.”
This did not prevent Georgia from entering the transfer portal to pick up talent. Traditionally, he is just a one-year graduate player, compared to the multi-year stays Brenton Cox and Demarkcus Bowman had in Gainesville, Florida.
The Bulldogs brought two transfers of graduates in each of the last two cycles. In 2019, tight end Eli Wolf and wide receiver Lawrence Cager joined the Bulldogs. Last season, Georgia brought in tight end Tre ‘McKitty and quarterback Jamie Newman.
Newman ended up not playing for Georgia, as he gave up before the season started. That’s why the Bulldogs were lucky enough to dive into the portal to grab JT Daniels over the summer.
The quarterback position for Georgia was certainly a necessity to enter the 2020 season. Jake Fromm was out of the NFL and Newman didn’t have a chance to go through spring training. With the unproven D’Wan Mathis, Carson Beck and Stetson Bennett backups, adding someone like Daniels, who had double-digit starts at USC, made sense for 2020 at least and definitely for 2021.
We ended up seeing how crucial Daniels was to the 2020 team. After joining the starting lineup, the Bulldogs went 4-0, including a Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. Without Daniels, Georgia’s attack looked more like what the Bulldogs had at the end of the 2019 season.
The USC transfer quarterback has so far proved to be an anomaly when it comes to transfers for non-graduates in Athens. Before signing him, the only other ungraded transfer that Georgia has brought in the past few seasons was Demetris Robertson. He joined the Georgia program before the 2018 season, after coming from Cal.
Part of the reason for this is the case is Smart’s previously stated preference. There is also the fact that Georgia has recruited elite talent at a better rate than Florida. Bulldogs are about to sign their fifth consecutive recruiting class in the top 3. Florida has only two classes in the top 10 in the same period.
The Bulldogs will be well stocked with 5-star talent entering the 2021 season, even without Gilbert in the cast. Georgia will have 17 ex-candidates for 5 stars. Daniels is the only one who has not signed with Georgia outside of high school.
With Georgia recruiting as well as before, and not just at the 5 star level, Bulldogs have to lose on the transfer portal much more often than they earn. This off-season has seen seven Bulldogs on scholarships enter the transfer portal. Some of them include 2020 contributors like Tyrique Stevenson and Jermaine Johnson, who would have been key players in the 2021 defense if they had stayed with Georgia.
Related: Tyrique Stevenson moves to Miami
Bulldogs are well stocked in most positions in the 2021 defense, so they are able to withstand some of the losses. But not all of them will be filled by new recruits who are ready to play immediately.
Georgia will likely turn to the portal at some point during this off-season to bring in talent. Bulldogs have a great need as a cornerback and an experienced player looking for a chance to play for an opponent – as Newman, McKitty, Wolf and Cager were – probably helps Georgia to fill that gap.
If Gilbert really wanted to play in Georgia, the Bulldogs would have welcomed him with open arms. He is such a good player and will undoubtedly be a thorn in the side of Georgia when the two teams face off in Jacksonville, Florida.
But Georgia signed a 5-star tight end in the 2020 recruiting class in Darnell Washington. And he added a marginal top-100 player in the 2021 class at Brock Bowers. There was no need for Gilbert in Georgia as there was in Florida.
Related: Arik Gilbert may have been a necessity for Georgia football, but he was not a need for space in the tight end
Mullen and the Gators got the better of Georgia in 2020, with transfer players Trevon Grimes and Shorter taking touchdown passes in victory. If Florida continues to succeed and coexists with elite college football teams, Smart will have to reevaluate how he uses the transfer portal.
For now, however, Bulldogs have found success in the more traditional ways of obtaining talent. Georgia will beat Florida in 2018 and 2019 thanks to this model. We will see what 2021 has in store for these two programs.
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More than football: Clarence Pope
In honor of Black History Month, we are pleased to share stories of pioneers who “paved the way” for diversity and inclusion in athletics at UGA.
Meet Clarence Pope, 1971-1974 Linebacker pic.twitter.com/ZxbnfUiQwg
– Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) February 2, 2021
As we celebrate Black History Month, we’ll highlight the history creators and pioneers of Georgia Athletics. Every week during the month of February, we will show someone who not only made an impact on their sport, but also influenced our current student-athletes. pic.twitter.com/85cNyj4ozl
– Georgia Bulldogs (@UGAAthletics) February 1, 2021
📍 𝘼𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣, 𝘼𝙇#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/MEY0LqGJFI
– Georgia Basketball (@UGABasketball) February 2, 2021
Top 7 pic.twitter.com/ruIcO6wuqp
– Denylon Morrissette (@DenylonM) February 2, 2021
Good Dawg of the Day
This is Stella. She just unlocked a new fear: squirrels inside. I don’t know why no one else is worried. 10/13 someone holds her pic.twitter.com/9ugHkJoWT2
– WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) February 1, 2021