Georgia’s season has effectively ended. Where does recruiting stand before Signing Day?

Once Kirby Smart’s toe drug through the final blade of Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf, the Georgia head coach’s offseason began.

Georgia (11-2) has one game remaining in its 2019 campaign — a New Year’s Six bowl game, likely a second-consecutive trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Over three weeks, however, remain before that consolation date for the Bulldogs to finish out the season. Between then marks one of the most-vital periods of Georgia’s offseason.

Coaching staffs travel across the country for in-home visits. Ten days remain until the Early Signing Day on Dec. 18, when a majority of high-school prospects sign their national letter-of-intent. Players handle a stretch of final exams. Georgia coaches meet with players to decide on potential early departures to the NFL.

All is hectic, but critical in December. Especially for Georgia, who must capitalize after suffering an SEC Championship knockout blow to undefeated LSU, 37-10.

“I don’t think you can ever manage that,” Smart said. “People have no idea what goes on the minute that SEC Championship game ends. We literally have one week, five to six days, to go see every kid before they sign. That’s absolutely crazy. That’s crazy. There’s no way. I can’t be 25 places in five days.”

While Smart can’t clone himself for helicopter trips around the country, he might join forces with his assistant coaches to make a plethora of in-home visits. Georgia holds yet another strong recruiting class for the 2020 cycle and will receive some highly-touted additions once the fax machine — wait, maybe not, this isn’t 2003 — gets rolling with scholarship agreements.

Georgia’s 2020 class ranks sixth nationally, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, with 15 pledges — two five-star prospects (outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman and offensive tackle Broderick Jones). While strong, it currently sits as one of the weaker groups in Smart’s tenure, which might be nit-picking after having two top-rated classes in four years. Nevertheless, there are strengths and areas of improvement within this group that will eventually make its way to Athens.

THREE STRENGTHS

1) Offensive tackle: Are you surprised? This is what offensive line coach Sam Pittman does each year. He brings in the upper-tier prospects across his line and compliments it with the jubilant “YESSIRRR!” to his Twitter feed. For 2020, he’s found his niche with recruiting at the tackle position. Georgia could lose its two starting tackles, Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson, to early departures to the NFL. If that’s the case (and it’s likely for Thomas), those two vacancies suddenly appear. Pittman, to go along with a young group of second-team offensive linemen, has pledges from four tackles to choose from — Jones, four-star Tate Ratledge, four-star Chad Lindberg and four-star Joshua Braun. Four-star center Sedrick Van Pran is also committed to the Bulldogs, so Pittman might be finished (or at least close) with his work for the 2020 class.

2) Defensive tackle: Evidently, Georgia already looks strong in shoring up the lines of scrimmage. The Bulldogs lose Michael Barnett, David Marshall, Tyler Clark, Justin Young and Michail Carter on its defensive line after the season, so they had to add prospects in volume in order to provide options and depth within a unit that rotates frequently. Georgia currently has three pledges at the position — four-stars Jalen Carter, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse (one of the earliest 2020 commitments). It missed out on the likes of Bryan Bresee (Clemson) and Justin Rogers (Kentucky), two guys heavily-pursued by Smart at one point, but brings in a solid haul.

Potential add: Five-star Jordan Burch (Columbia S.C.)

3) Place-kicker: OK, this might seem strange to be listed as a strength. But unfortunately, the specs of senior Rodrigo Blankenship have to be retired after Georgia’s season concludes. After noticing the importance of a nearly-automatic place-kicker, Smart opted to exhaust a scholarship on one while in recruiting. Jared Zirkel, out of Kerrville, Tex., is committed to the program. Throughout three years at Tivy High School, he recorded season-long field goals of 55, 56 and 63 yards. Georgia will await his arrival and also engage punter Jake Camarda into the competition for place-kicker.

THREE NEEDS

1) Wide receiver: Well, after that loss to LSU, the importance of depth at wide receiver appears once more. Smart, in his postgame press conference, said the “responsibility falls on me” for not replacing the void left by four NFL-caliber wide receivers who left after the 2018 season. Georgia’s playmaker cupboard proved to be bare, and it needs to add more talent in order for the offense to see a boost. The Bulldogs currently have commitments from four-stars Justin Robinson (Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy) and Marcus Rosemy (St. Thomas Aquinas Fla. High School). Three-star Corey Wren out of Louisiana, known for his speed, decommitted from Georgia on Dec. 3.

Potential add: Four-star Arian Smith (Lakeland Fla. High School)

2) Tight end: Once senior Charlie Woerner departs, Georgia has a young group without a dominant talent — John FitzPatrick and Ryland Goede are the most-recognizable names. So, in this 2020 class, the Bulldogs are in search of their first elite talent at the position since adding former five-star Isaac Nauta in 2016. There are a few top-tier talents eyeing a move toward Athens, and the most likely add comes from across the country. Five-star Darnell Washington from Las Vegas, Nev., has had persistent interest in Georgia and brings a unique physical makeup to his program of choice at 6-foot-8, 261 pounds. His skill set could fit at either the receiver or tight end position. Most other programs across the southeast — Florida, Alabama, Miami, Tennessee, etc. — are contenders for Washington.

3) Secondary: Georgia rotates three players at cornerback, so that specific position is not an alarming need. Depth, however, across the secondary would benefit Georgia in the 2020 class. Four-star Jalen Kimber out of Arlington, Tex., currently stands as the lone Bulldog pledge. That may not be the case for long as five-star Kelee Ringo, also from across the country in Arizona, has kept a keen interest in Georgia with a number of on-campus visits and conversations with the coaching staff. Ringo, at 6-foot-2, is ranked as the top-overall cornerback prospect nationally. Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State and others currently stand as contenders for Ringo. Georgia could also add a player it previously had pledged, Nadab Joseph, who had to play in junior college due to academic ineligibility.