Kirby Smart doesn’t look like he’s in a hurry. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you look at Georgia’s portal ranking. As of now, the Bulldogs sit with the No. 31 transfer portal class nationally. It’s just nine total commitments, tied for the fourth-fewest among P4 programs. Also, no SEC team has fewer incoming transfers. 

Kirby Smart lost 15 players to the portal. That imbalance would trigger panic for many programs. But not Georgia who refuses to budge from their recruiting tradition. On January 31, cfbalerts shared Chris Marler’s “crazy stat” report on Instagram.

“5 teams in CFB took 40 or more players in this year’s transfer portal cycle,” he reported. “UGA has taken 35 total players from the portal in the last 5 years combined. Kirby is different, man.”

Kirby Smart’s 2026 portal class reflects that philosophy almost too cleanly. Two four-star transfers. Seven three-stars. The headliners are familiar names in the region including Georgia Tech WR Isiah Canion and Auburn edge rusher Amaris Williams. Both rank inside the national top 40 among transfers. 

Then, Georgia brought in Oregon QB Bryson Beaver for depth, Kentucky RB Dante Dowdell, and Alabama A&M OT TyQuez Richardson. Kirby Smart also hauled in good defensive additions. The Bulldogs added Oklahoma corner Gentry Williams, ECU safety Ja’Marley Riddle, Clemson safety Khalil Barnes, and USC corner Braylon Conley. 

Georgia just won its second straight SEC title, and it did it with a roster where more than half the contributors were freshmen or sophomores. Recruiting over success is still recruiting over people. This isn’t new behavior, either. Kirby Smart’s portal intake by year tells the same story. One player in 2022, four in 2023, eleven in 2024, ten in 2025, and nine so far in 2026. The head coach said plainly back in 2023 that he’s not living and dying by the portal. 

“I don’t know because I’m not in the portal industry as much,” he said. “I mean, we’re gonna always look and try to take a great player, but I’m not gonna live and die by it. I want to develop players and bring them in from freshmen all the way up.”

Meanwhile, look around the country. LSU leads the portal race with 40 additions, including top position transfers QB Sam Leavitt, OT Jordan Seaton, and edge Princewell Umanmielen. Oklahoma State took 54. Arkansas, UCLA, and Colorado all landed 41. But Georgia doesn’t need volume. Because while others chase the portal, Kirby Samer is already looking ahead. 

Kirby Smart continues to go on recruiting trials

Kirby Smart is clearly pushing early. With the portal window down, Georgia is already back on high school campuses. Late January, he landed from a helicopter on the baseball field at Hephzibah High School. He was visiting juniors Dextavion Reese and KJ Dunn. Reese plays both WR and safety. Dunn lines up at DE and TE.

Georgia currently sits No. 9 in the 2027 On3 Industry Rankings with five commits. He isn’t stopping there, either. On January 13, the Bulldogs extended an offer to 2028 4-star edge Jackson Vaughn out of New Jersey. The point is to build a relationship early. That’s how you build trust and bond and Kirby Smart is already a genius in this.