SEC Football Media Days 2017: 5 notable quotes from Day 2

Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs head coach

“I think the biggest thing is recruiting and development. A lot of people say it’s one or the other; do you recruit great players or do you develop great players? When you do both, that’s when you got something special. And I think every team in this conference is trying to play catch-up in regards to that.” 

While it doesn’t exactly take a genius to point out that Alabama is college football’s premier program, SEC coaches must now figure out exactly how to catch up to Saban and company.

Few coaches in the nation would know better than Smart, who served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator from 2008-2015 before taking the head job at Georgia. Smart indicated that the challenge is two-fold, as other programs are well behind Nick Saban’s dynasty in both recruiting and player development.

Alabama’s recruiting advantage is obvious given their iron grip on the No. 1 class ranking for nearly a decade, but the development comment shares some insight, as many not even realize how brilliantly Saban has done in that area. Turning a five-star recruit into a productive college player doesn’t happen automatically, and the Crimson Tide have been an NFL talent factory at every position other than quarterback.

Now the question becomes which program, if any, is capable of closing the gap on the Crimson Tide in either area. Georgia is as good of a threat as anybody, as Smart reeled in a top-five recruiting class in his first full offseason, although he now must prove he can develop young players like blue chip quarterback Jacob Eason.

While the Crimson Tide fell short in the national title game, it was well ahead of the rest of the SEC in a down year. If Smart can show an ability to develop, he might be the best bet to overtake Alabama in the conference a little further down the line.