CLEMSON | At his recent signing-day press conference, Kirby Smart brought talking points that included something rather eye-opening.

Georgia won another recruiting national championship, but Smart emphasized something that might be regarded as essential to delivering an on-field championship.

"I'm really excited about this class from an academic and character standpoint, which to me matters as much as anything," he said.

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Smart knows better than anyone how quickly a No. 1 class can disintegrate. He knows better than anyone how and why such a haul can come apart.

And now, quite likely, he knows there's something to the careful methods used by Dabo Swinney and his staff as they build not just a roster but a culture.

At his recent press conference, Smart was asked how much he and his staff consider character and discipline concerns as they decide whether to chase a recruit.