Three years ago we were coming off back to back national titles and now Kirby is on SEC Now talking about how our young talent is gonna fuel the 2026 season and I just cannot help but think about what we used to have. You remember the 1980 team? That squad had seniors and juniors who had been in the system for three and four years. Bob McWhorter style development. Now we are relying on freshmen and sophomores because half the roster leaves every winter for the portla or the draft. The whole model changed.
And do not get me started on what this means for fall. We are sitting here in June dead period with voluntary workouts and I am supposed to get excited about a bunch of 18 and 19 year old kids learning on the job? Back in the 1990s under Coach Goff we had guys like Hines Ward and Champ Bailey who stayed and got better every single season. You did not have to rebuild the offense every spring because your leading rusher transferred to some other program for a bag of cash. The portal killed continuity.
I watched that clip of Kirby talking about the schedule and I respect that he is trying to spin it positive but let me tell you something. You cannot tell me that losing a veteran offensive line and replacing it with kids who have never taken a snap in the SEC is something to get excited about. The 2002 squad under Coach Richt had guys like David Pollack and Boss Bailey who played together for years. That is how you build championships. Not through the portal.
Now we got this 5-star tight end Kaiden Prothro coming in and I am happy about that. Do not get me wrong. But one freshman tight end does not replace the experience we lost. I look at this roster and I see potential everywhere but potential does not win you games in October against Florida and Alabama. The 2017 team that made the natty game had a quarterback who had been in the system for three years and a defense full of juniors and seniors who knew the system inside and out.
I will be in my seat on Thursday afternoon when we kick off against Tennessee State and I will cheer for these kids because they are wearing the G. But I cannot help feeling like we lost something along the way. The days when you could count on a kid to be there for four years and grow into something special. Now it is all about who can get on the field fastest and who can cash the biggest check. Kirby is a good coach but even he cannot fix what this sport has become.