For the past few years, Georgia fans have expressed concern over the University’s inability to sign highly rated, in-state football recruits. Although most of the players on UGA’s roster have an in-state home address, the perception has been that too many of the best players have been lured to out-of-state programs.
 
 
Despite last minute decisions by two of the Peach State’s most highly ranked players to attend Southern California and Auburn, Kirby Smart is keenly aware of Georgia’s consistently stocked larder of high school talent. He addressed the point in his remarks on National Signing Day.
 
 
“You look at the production of players in the NFL, per capita the state of Georgia is very talented. I was at a Macon event yesterday, a state champions for the region winners (conference). When you look at it, the quality of coaching the kids get, the programs in the state of Georgia are really, really good. When you look at all the rosters in the SEC, that’s the one common theme is every team in the SEC is coming to the state of Georgia to get players. It’s critical for us to be successful to get good players out of our state. To say you’ll get them all, I don’t think that’s realistic. It’s a state that’s attacked by so many because it’s got Atlanta and it’s got a network to get out and go to the other places. Obviously, it’s important to us, critical to our success. There’ll be needs we’ll have each year that we won’t be able to fill in our state. So, it’s not to say that we’ll only recruit in our state. We’ve got to go out to Florida. We’ve got to go out to North Carolina. We’ve got to go out to other areas and get needs. Just like our quarterback (Jacob Eason), you’ve got to find what you need and try to fill voids there.”