How Georgia football fan turnout became a ‘frustration’ for all parties

But one of the few, and more recent, problems that Smart has encountered comes with fan support when Georgia doesn’t face big teams like Alabama.

In recent seasons, the Bulldogs have opened against teams like Clemson and Oregon, though those games have been played at neutral-site venues. The last Power 4 team Georgia played in its first home game was Auburn during the 2020 season, when fan attendance was limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, you’d have to go back to the 2014 game against Clemson for Georgia’s first home game to come against a Power 4 opponent.

Another ticketing change came on the student front, one that seems to have had a far more noticeable impact on the number of fans filling the Sanford Stadium bleachers.

The price of a full set of student season tickets costs $80. But not every student was guaranteed a full set of student tickets. Freshmen receive priority, with seniors, juniors, sophomores, fifth-year students, and graduate and professional students following, in that order.

If a student doesn’t plan on using their ticket, they can donate it back to the school themselves, which in turn redistributes to other students.

McDaniel conceded the point that all the winning Georgia has done in recent years has spoiled the fan base to some degree. Sure, it’s easy to show up and watch a classic between Georgia and Alabama.

But there is not the same appetite to watch Georgia lay waste to a Sun Belt school.

“They basically assume that Georgia’s gonna win every game,” McDaniel said. “And I think that’s definitely a major factor. I think that has sort of fed into this issue because students that don’t really want to be at the game and are not able to, like, sell their tickets to other students.

“And so they end up either not giving their ticket back to the school and not showing up to the game at all, or they show up to the game, but they’re not interested and leave at halftime.”

The Marshall game was not the first time Smart has raised his concerns about fan support. It first became an issue in the fall of 2024 following a game against rival Auburn.

“I want our fan base to appreciate what we have and give their all and be unbelievable with crowd noise and make energy at home games,” Smart said in October 2024. “We need it to be tough on other teams to play here. But it’s not. It’s not the same as it’s been in the past. It’s gotta be energetic. It’s gotta be.”

Following this year’s home opener, Smart took a similar tone when it comes to getting fans to show up and be invested in Georgia’s performance for an entire game.

“I don’t know that you incentivize the turnout,” Smart said. “I don’t really believe in incentivizing things. I think it has to be a core DNA trait of belief, you know? When we sell things, it’s ‘I will do this if you do this and incentivize.’ I don’t think that’s great motivation. I think it’s intrinsic in who you are. I think people should love to be at a Georgia home game because there’s only so many of them. It’s limited opportunities.”

Add in that the Bulldogs have marquee nonconference games against Louisville, Florida State, Clemson and Ohio State, and Brooks will have to do some tinkering to Georgia’s future schedule.

That is expected to be ironed out in the coming weeks, especially once the SEC settles on what the 2026 conference slate will look like.

“When you start from the fan perspective and you think about a ninth SEC opponent and what it allows us to do in terms of schedule variability now that you can guarantee that we’re going to play every SEC opponent at least once every two years,” Smart said. “You’re going to get them at home and on the road once every four years. I think that’s good. When you talk to fans and the desire for higher-quality opponents and then knowing the rotation and being able to plan the next four years, you’ll be able to come out and plan your next four years and say, ‘I’m going to go to this trip in this year.’ I think that’s good for fans.”

The game against Alabama, for example, will be the first time since 2015 that the Crimson Tide will come to Sanford Stadium. LSU hasn’t played in Athens since 2013, and this year’s game against Texas will be the first time the Longhorns have visited Athens.

But for as big as those games are, there will still be games that don’t draw as much interest. Perhaps Georgia’s home game against Kentucky, which is set for noon the week after the Alabama game, may be a better barometer of how much of a recurring issue fan turnout will continue to be for Georgia.

It’s not an issue that’s unique to Georgia, as schools across the country battle to fill stadiums amid the rising costs of tickets, general life expenses and expectations.

“It’s incumbent upon us to put the best product from not only the players, but how we operate as a staff,” Brooks said. “From ingress, egress, parking, traffic, safety, and fireworks. We have always got to aim to do the best for that. It’s a seven-home-game season, and it’s a long season. We do understand the impacts of that. But I always take that as pressure I put upon myself and what we can do better to make sure we fill the stadium to give the coaches and players the best atmosphere possible.”

Smart does not control the student ticketing policy. He can’t lower prices or impact the resale market.

He’s in charge of fielding and putting together the best Georgia team he can. He’s often proved successful in doing that.

When he looks at the issue of generating consistent fan turnout, he compares it to what he looks for while recruiting.

“You got to do it because you want to be great,” Smart said. “You got to do it because you want to be different, and if our fans want to be great and different, then they’ll do it.”