How UGA's splashy transfers are fitting in with Bulldogs and early impressions they've made

HOOVER, Ala. — Kirby Smart’s recruiting chops during his time as Georgia football coach stacks up better than anyone in college football except for the machine that chugs along at Alabama under Nick Saban.

This offseason Smart has shown he’s a force when it comes to plucking talent from the transfer portal, too.

Smart arrived at SEC Media Days Tuesday at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala, with JT Daniels, the quarterback who transferred in the offseason of 2020 from Southern Cal to Georgia, along side him.

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Georgia this year landed three plug-and-play transfers: cornerback Derion Kendrick from Clemson, Star nickel back Tykee Smith from West Virginia and tight end turned wide receiver Arik Gilbert from LSU.

That’s three of the top seven transfers this year, according to 247Sports.

“None of the three of them went to spring practice,” Smart said. “We’ve got to find out where they fit as pieces of the puzzle. Just as we have guys depart, we had guys come in. I think that’s going to be the status quo is finding the right pieces of the puzzle to help your team every year.”

Gilbert, whose eligibility was clouded with some uncertainty after his opt out and then transfer from LSU, should be good to go, Smart said.

“I fully expect for him to be ready to start the season,” Smart said. “He’s currently enrolled in summer school. He should be eligible.”

Read more about Gilbert:LSU coach, top cornerback on what's ahead for UGA football transfer Arik Gilbert

Georgia also has lost some notable transfers.

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson transferred to Miami , outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson to Florida State and wide receiver Demetris Robertson went to Auburn, which plays Georgia on the Plains on Oct. 9.

Georgia addressed needs in the secondary to address quantity and quality with Kendrick and Smith.

“They’re getting reps, they’re learning the playbook and it's really exciting,” nose guard Jordan Davis said. “You see them flash (in workouts). Tykee and Kendrick are really good players…I’m excited to see what they’re going to do during the season. I know they’re going to show out.”

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He called them both vocal leaders.

“It feels like they’ve been here for a while,” Davis said. “Like they’ve been here for a season already. I feel like that’s a good sign. …It’s a smooth transition for them and an even smoother transition for us.”

When asked about adding Smith. Smart called it “a need-based decision more than anything else. We needed defensive backs. We're under, we had two juniors come out, another guy leave and then another guy leave. I mean, we were at a deficit. So it's probably going to be the way of the world and when guys go in the portal, you don't always say, 'that guy doesn't meet my criteria.' You say, 'we have a need and he has ability.' If those two match up, then it's a great opportunity.”

Kendrick, a 6-foot-, 190-pound All-ACC cornerback who started in the national championship game against LSU in the 2019 season, gives Georgia needed experience on the outside.

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Smith, a 5-10, 198-pound third-team AP All-American, expects to play the nickel Star position.

“Mostly what we've seen is on tape, and on the tape each one of them played very differently,” Smart said. “DK played corner and played a more similar style defense to ours. Tykee was different. He played a lot of overhang Star. Wasn't asked to do a lot as far as man-to-man play. But we're going to find out what those guys are capable. And we've got guys already on our roster that are going to compete with them, and that know that. We've got some guys that played in our bowl game, that were in our two-deep, they're competing with those guys as well. So it's a big priority for those guys (transfers) to learn our defense and understand it so we can integrate them and play to their strengths."

The 6-5, 248-pound Gilbert has indeed worked out this summer with the receiver group after playing tight end as a freshman at LSU.

“That’s been a big part of what he wants to do,” Smart said. “We’ve got to find out if he can sustain, if he’s got the stamina at that position to play that position, to play the X, to play the Z, play the slot. We’ll find ways to move him around.”

Daniels heard a lot about a player Tuesday that he’s thrown to this summer, but has yet to officially practice with yet at UGA.

“I've been asked more about Arik more than anything else today, and I keep saying the same thing,” Daniels said. “There are players who have great talent and like football, and then there's guys like Arik who have great talent and love football. He spends time with coaches, like hours with coaches, to learn a brand-new system, learn the signals, learn how specifically we run routes and how specifically, as receivers and tight ends, they read defenses. He's a weekend worker.”

Smart mentioned offensive coordinator Todd Monken moving players all over when he had the NFL’s top rated passing offense with Tampa Bay.

“We know Arik Gilbert is going to be a big part of that,” Smart said. “We also know that we’ve got other players on offense with Darnell (Washington) and Brock (Bowers), John (FitzPatrick) where we’ll get some good tight end use. Where each guy goes, I don’t think it’s set right now, but we’re going to find that out over the next 27, 28 practices.”

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Georgia’s success in the transfer portal this offseason bodes well for the future with players able to now transfer one time without having to sit out a season.

“It's really difficult to beat Georgia,” Daniels said. “Like when Georgia called me right away, I'm like that's a top five team, it's a great school, it's a great staff, they have great players. Like what bad can you say about it? What can you say is a reason that I wouldn't go there? I can't find any. So I think that definitely helps. I think Coach Smart is -- he's the hardest worker you'll meet. So any chance that he can get to give us an edge to win games, he's going to do.”