Smart on early signing period: 'If it benefits the student-athlete, then obviously I'm for it'

Now that he has had time to reflect, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart believes there are some positive qualities to the early signing period.

In the lead-up to the first-ever national early signing period in December, Smart expressed his concern about speeding up the recruiting process. Speaking on 680 The Fan's "The Official Visit," however, Smart said he doesn't have an issue with the new recruiting calendar.

"I think the majority of kids, it's a good thing. They're able to make a decision at their own pace. They're ready to go," Smart said. "There are some kids who, I think, might have been pressured into making a decision that they may not be ready to make yet. They thought, 'Well, if I don't take this now, I won't have it later.' It forces it.

"The early signing period is an advantage for your mid-majors or your schools that sometimes do a great job evaluating, but then another school comes in the last second and sweeps up their kids. It's good and bad. I have no problem with it. If it benefits the student-athlete, then obviously I'm for it."

Part of the reason that the early signing period's buildup was stressful on the Georgia coaching staff was due to the Bulldogs' preparing for the College Football Playoff. Having to juggle signing a recruiting class while simultaneously coordinating practices for such an important semifinal game made for a difficult task.

Then again, Georgia still managed to sign 20 players in what is considered the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

"Being that we were in the playoffs this year, it made it tremendously difficult to manage that and practices," Smart said. "That's tough, but it's not every year you get a chance to do that."

Now that most of Georgia's 2018 class is signed, Smart said a lot of attention is turning not only to the 2019 recruits but the 2020 prospects as well.

"What's going to be unique for us is the 2020 experience," Smart said. "We're going to be able to sit here and say, 'OK, can we really look and evaluate and say, "Hey, these kids who are 2020, are there any of them who are just absolute no-brainers we can target and get an early relationship with?" ' Where in the past, you probably couldn't do that. We still know the kids will grow and mature.

"There was a guy whose house I just left (Monday night). He wasn't big enough to get a D-1 offer two years ago. Now he's a great player who everyone wants. Kids change over time. But we want to look at these 2020 and 2019 kids."

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Smart on early signing period: 'If it benefits the student-athlete, then obviously I'm for it'."