Between Hudl tape, forty yard dashes, and Oklahoma drills, there probably isn’t anything that Kirby Smart cares less about in the world when he’s on the recruiting trail. He’s much more focused on the intangibles, the kind of things that can’t be seen on the gridiron. But while most coaches focus on locker room intangibles, Kirby probably takes a closer look at their driving records. Kirby’s favorite film is dash cam film. Here are the top five prospects on Georgia’s recruiting board.
Ashley Yvette Kibler – ATH, Maryland
Smart has had Kibler on his recruiting board for a long time, with stats highlighted all over the place and all kinds of traffic camera video saved to his computer. Kibler amassed 414 traffic citations in the Washington, D.C. area and owes the city $168,168.
For Kirby it was the commitment that stood out to him the most. Earning 414 citations takes a level of dedication that Kalen DeBoer would never require of his players in Tuscaloosa. Plus, he gets the extra eyes from putting a woman on the field, which can’t possibly go worse than when Vanderbilt did it.
Sean Hudson – S, Virginia
Hudson doesn’t just drive fast or do it on a consistent basis, but he’s got the get up and go to go hit those traffic violations day in and day out. When it comes to getting the most reps in the least amount of time, Sean Hudson is your guy. That is, if you’re looking for routine traffic criminals, and Kirby is.
Hudson acquired 252 citations in a span of sixteen months, meaning there were more days in that span that he got the paperwork than he didn’t. Amongst his citations include 21 tickets for going 20+ mph over the speed limit, which screams ball hawking at Kirby. My best guess is that Hudson is one of Kirby’s top prospects to be a starting safety.
Andrea Reid – WR, Maryland
When it comes to adaptability, Andrea Reid is the best of the best in the traffic violation world. That makes her a key piece on Kirby Smart’s recruiting board. She has 206 total citations, 10% of which are for going through red lights. Anyone that can fly by that much red instantly becomes a feature of Smart’s game plan against Alabama.
The icing on the cake for Kirby is that Reid can carve up defenses any direction she pleases, vertically or horizontally, or even potentially out of the backfield. She’s already demonstrated the ability to get tickets across multiple jurisdictions with different license plates. Now Kirby will give Reid the chance to get touchdowns across multiple opponents with different play designs.
Shaquan Jelks – QB, Texas
Jelks may be a 48 year old man, but the Bulldogs just had Stetson Bennett on their roster at quarterback, and it’s not like he’s any younger. Jelks wasn’t just a petty traffic citation accumulator, he was a highway supervillain, secretly coordinating shell companies posing as legitimate trucking businesses, all while being banned by a federal court and the FMCSA.
Kirby sees value in this because Jelks was able to be aware of multiple things at different times, constantly finding escape hatches to circumvent the law. Smart wants that kind of mentality in the pocket, only instead of escaping the Department of Transportation he’ll be escaping edge rushers.
Rumor has it that Smart may also be interested in having Jelks coordinate the movement of team equipment for road games.
Carlos Martinez – LB, New Mexico
It’s no secret that linebackers have to be able to cover a lot of ground, and in the wide open desert of New Mexico, going 117 miles per hour will cover a lot of ground. It will also catch the attention of Kirby.
Pulling off a stunt like that requires excellent timing, good instincts, and the ability to weave between obstacles, all of which are necessary traits for linebackers who have to both cover receivers, watch for handoffs, and get through the offensive line on a pass rush. Naturally, Martinez’ skill set intrigued Smart, and now he’s looking at a spot on the roster.
Championship Contender?
Considering that these individuals lack any, or at the very least are not known for any football experience, it really makes it hard to examine how they will perform as part of the Georgia football team, and Kirby has a reputation to keep now that he’s widely considered the best active coach in the SEC. But, he’s gotten to the spotlight before, he knows how to get there, so maybe Kirby really does have something in the works when he recruits bad drivers.
