But perhaps there's also a case to be made for quality rather than quantity. It's worth pointing out that, according to Rivals.com's annual rankings, Auburn averaged the 10th-best recruiting class in the nation over the past three years with all those recruits, South Carolina the 18th-best -- while Georgia, with 20 fewer total recruits than either of those rivals, averaged the ninth-best class (including a top-five haul earlier this year that only went one scholarship over the limit). The key, then, is getting the most out of the talent you do bring in.
Clearly there's a case to be made that Richt hasn't done that over the past few seasons. But he seems to recognize that better conditioning and coaching, not rampant oversigning, is the key to getting the Dawgs back where they belong. If those two factors can help the class of 2011 (along with the veterans on Georgia's roster) achieve their full potential this season, nobody's going to be going over scholarship counts with a fine-toothed comb come January.