Mark Stoops shares how he thinks Georgia has found strong success
Even enemies can show respect. On Monday, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops weighed in on Georgia’s meteoric rise to the top of college football.
“You’d have to be a moron not to appreciate what they do. They’re pretty impressive,” Stoops said. “They work hard and they do a good job of recruiting and evaluating talent. They develop their talent, and they coach them really well. So you put those things together, it’s a pretty good combination.”
The results speak for themselves. Georgia is the No. 1 team in the country, has won back-to-back national championships and hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 4, 2021. To a program like Kentucky, Georgia has been a nearly guaranteed loss on the schedule.
UK hasn’t defeated Georgia since 2009, losing 13-straight contests. As Stoops mentioned, Georgia’s success starts on the recruiting trails. UGA hasn’t had hauled in anything less than a top-three recruiting class since 2016, according to On3 Industry Rankings.
The Bulldogs aren’t slowing down, either. The team already boasts the No. 1 class in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Of course, talent is nothing unless it is developed. In Kirby Smart’s seven years as Georgia’s head coach, he has produced 55 NFL players.
With players like Brock Bowers leading the way, Smart will only add to that number after this season. Nonetheless, Georgia hasn’t looked as dominant this season as it has in the years past.
The Bulldogs are 5-0 but have already had close calls in a narrow 24-14 win over South Carolina in Week 3 and a nail-biting 27-20 victory against Auburn on Saturday. Moreover, neither of these teams are top talent unlike No. 20 Kentucky.
Mark Stoops is prepared for Georgia
Despite the crack in Georgia’s armor, Kentucky isn’t lunging in head-first. Stoops is wary of the Bulldogs, knowing the pain of their bite all too well.
“[Georgia] is certainly a uniquely talented football team across the board,” Stoops said. “They do a great job of recruiting players that are very good players, but they work hard. They’re fundamentally sound and obviously, they’re well coached.”
Stoops simply asks his team to continue doing what they’ve done so well this season.
“How are we going to handle that?” Stoops said. “Every time you put yourself in that position, you better learn from it. You better grow from it in some way, shape or form. But for us, it’s about continuing to build, continuing to play well, play clean, and just do the things we’re doing.”
On Saturday, the two teams will go toe-to-toe at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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