Georgia has yet to play its first game or even hold its first preseason practice under Kirby Smart, but the new head football coach of the Bulldogs could be producing a first full recruiting class to remember.
The Bulldogs entered this weekend with a crop of 14 dcommitments that ranks second to Ohio State nationally in the ESPN, 247Sports.com and Scout.com team rankings. Georgia ranks third in the Rivals.com rankings behind Alabama and Ohio State.
Smart and his assistants are working one last summer camp this weekend before turning their attention to the 2016 season, but he is downplaying the fervor he has caused in his pursuit of prospects.
"I'll be honest with you, I don't measure recruiting until much later in the process," Smart said Tuesday at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. "I'm talking about three years down the road. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people anoint kids and a recruiting class, but sometimes there are overhyped players.
"The proof is when they get there and what they do, and I don't get caught up in where we are and who we have. I really don't. Your job may be to publicize it, but my job is to make sure they understand they have to produce on the field if they want to be good players."
Georgia has four commitments ranked among 247Sports' top 50 players nationally: safety Richard LeCounte III (No. 29) of Hinesville, Ga.; weakside defensive end Robert Beal (No. 31) of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.; quarterback Jake Fromm (No. 43) of Warner Robins, Ga.; and offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (No. 50) of Pace Academy in Atlanta.
It's not as if the Bulldogs recruited poorly under former coach Mark Richt, with his final five classes ranking seventh, eighth, 11th, eighth and eighth nationally according to the 247Sports composite rankings. They were 10th in February, which was somewhat of a feat given the transition from Richt to Smart.
The Bulldogs have had only two top-10 finishes on the field since 2009, placing fifth in the Associated Press poll after the 2012 season and ninth after the 2014 season.
"That's the part we've got to change at the University of Georgia," Smart said. "We want to excel on the field with who we bring in and not just excel at recruiting and having a top-10 class. I don't think it does anything for you until you produce on the field.
"The kids may love it, and it's contagious for them, but if they want to be good players, they don't need to be focused on that. The best ones I've been around don't focus on that. They focus on playing good."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.