UGA blue-chips vs. the SEC East

Class Year	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Georgia 4/5-stars	20	13	14	13	15	10
Ratio of UGA blue chips vs East	1.3	2.4	2.8	3.5	2.1	3.8
Rest of SEC East Combined	26	31	39	46	32	38

The total number of blue chips signed by SEC East teams runs in a range of the mid-40s to the mid-50s from year to year, and 2017 fits neatly into that pattern.  But Georgia signed nearly half of that total, which is a radical departure from the previous five seasons.  The biggest reason for that is the mythical fence Kirby Smart erected:  “In total, Georgia’s 2017 class is made up of 26 members; 18 are from the state of Georgia alone, including 16 blue-chips.”

You think about the other East programs like South Carolina and Tennessee that have to make a living off Georgia talent to succeed because they lack the in state talent base, and you realize that Smart’s killing two birds with one stone here.  If 2017 turns out to be anything but a one-year wonder, the longer term implications of what that means for the division are pretty apparent.