"Kids that come out of your program are so much better off": Kirby Smart boasts of Georgia being the top choice for NFL teams

The ultimate goal of any college football player is to reach the NFL, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart thinks his program is the best bet to do so. During Monday's press conference, Smart said he has received testaments from NFL teams recommending the school and the players that come out of it.

This comes in sharp criticism for those players who took a transfer out of the Georgia Bulldogs, just in time ahead of their next game against Kentucky, which will feature former quarterback Brock Vandagriff. The junior spent his first three years with Georgia, but with no playing time given, he transferred out of Smart's program.

“And you know, the transfer portal is an option for some guys to think about going somewhere else,” Smart said via On3. “And you know, it’s unfortunate, because the feedback we get from the NFL is there’s nowhere they’d rather have players than here developing.”

Kirby Smart attested to several recommendations he has received from NFL teams, praising the development of players out of his program. However, he did add that the criticism was not directed at Brock Vandagriff or linebacker Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson. Dumas-Johnson spent three seasons with the Bulldogs before transferring to the Wildcats.

“Countless teams have told me the kids that come out of your program are so much better off and developed for having stayed even over playing because of what kind of practice they get and who they get to go against practice,” Smart said.

“They feel like their best evaluation is when they come to our practice and see guys go against each other. That’s not anything directly at Brock and Pop, not at all. Both those guys were awesome young men, great young men for our program.”

Players drafted out of Kirby Smart's Georgia football program in 2024

The 2024 NFL draft was another time that Kirby Smart-coached Georgia had a major influence in the first two rounds. Out of eight players drafted from the school, five were picked in the first two rounds. Here are the selections from the Bulldogs:

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (13th Overall)
Amarius Mims, Cincinnati Bengals (18th Overall)
Ladd McConkey, Las Angeles Chargers (34th Overall)
Kamari Lassiter, Houston Texans (42nd Overall)
Javon Bullard, Green Bay Packers (58th Overall)
Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (89th Overall)
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Buffalo Bills (141st overall)
Zion Logue, Atlanta Falcons (197th Overall)

Four former Georgia Bulldogs players were signed despite being undrafted. They were:

Kendall Milton, Philadelphia Eagles
Daijun Edwards, Pittsburgh Steelers
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Washington Commanders
Tramel Walthour, Baltimore Ravens

This shows why Kirby Smart sounded proud of his program.