Kirby Smart discusses need for Georgia to keep upgrading athletic facilities

DESTIN, Fla. – Not much about Georgia’s pre-game schedule has changed since Kirby Smart was a player in the 1990s.

Smart and his teammates would change into their Georgia uniforms at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall before taking a bus to Sanford Stadium. After going through the Dawg Walk, they’d put the pads on and hit the field.

That ritual still exists in 2016.

"It’s been there a long time," Smart said.

But it won’t stick around for much longer.

Georgia announced a plan to build a home locker room at Sanford Stadium. Players will still go through the Dawg Walk but they’ll then be able to change on site in an updated building in the west end zone. Part of the Sanford Stadium upgrades will also include a space to host recruits on game day.

It probably won’t stop there. Since he was hired, Smart has been adamant about Georgia keeping up with the rest of the SEC when it comes to facilities. When speaking at events since spring practice concluded, Smart has reiterated the fact that Georgia has some catching up to do in certain areas.

While the Bulldogs are behind the rest of the SEC at the moment in terms of an indoor practice facility, the one under construction is expected to be among the best in the conference.

Smart is hopeful everything else will catch up as well. Last month in Columbus, Smart spoke at an alumni function and noted that recruits pay much more attention to on-campus facilities than previous generations would have.

"Facilities are the key to success," Smart told the Columbus crowd. "So many of my friends in this room have asked me, ‘Why did so-and-so go to so-and-so? Why did he do this? Why did he do that? Why didn’t he just go to Georgia?’ A lot of the people we recruit didn’t grow up like you and I did. A lot of the people we recruit go where they think they have the best facilities, where they think they can play the earliest, where they think is best for them."

Georgia isn’t the only East program in the middle of upgrading its facilities. Kentucky poured a ton of money into renovations at Commonwealth Stadium, which were unveiled last season. The Wildcats added a recruiting room and are hoping to have a new on-campus football building finished in July, which head coach Mark Stoops believes will help with the program’s day-to-day operations.

Stoops said he’s noticed how the new facilities have helped with Kentucky’s recruiting over the past year.

"We just want the very best that we can provide for our players that can help us and our situation done at Kentucky," Stoops said. "I know the changes we’ve made are only going to help us. I think we had some good solid recruiting and hopefully this will add to that."

Stoops said Kentucky’s decision to upgrade its facilities – with recruiting in mind – wasn’t necessarily done so to match the rest of the conference.

But Smart said he noticed plenty of SEC West schools pass other programs during his nine-year stay at Alabama. Smart believes if Georgia is to compete with the best then it has to keep up with those teams at the top.

"We have to stay on the cutting edge of facilities to be able to recruit in our conference," Smart said. "It’s extremely competitive. Just in the time I was at Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU – all those schools on the West – were building facilities. They got ahead of some of the teams on the East. It’s important that we understand that and that we stay on top of that as an athletic department as a whole – basketball, football, everything included."

Overall, Smart is pleased with where Georgia is and where it’s headed when it comes to its athletic facilities. The $30.2 million indoor practice facility will be a huge advantage for Georgia when it’s finished. The home locker room at Sanford Stadium will be an added bonus, as will the hosting space for recruits.

Smart is still looking forward for more upcoming improvements, both to Sanford Stadium and Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. After all, if you’re not keeping up, you’re being left behind.

"I think in every sport you’re trying to improve on your facilities," Smart said. "You want to make sure you’re getting the best you can out of your facilities because it helps you recruit."

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Kirby Smart discusses need for Georgia to keep upgrading athletic facilities."