ATHENS — Georgia football fans are following this offseason intently, their program at its zenith under ninth-year coach Kirby Smart.

Just as Smart says the Bulldogs aren’t practicing to beat one team, rather, practicing to win all of them, the fans take the same approach.

Georgia fans want every player, so when top-flight transfer Caleb Downs chose Ohio State over the Bulldogs last Friday, there was that “10 percent” on social media that turned ugly.

It was unfortunate and another example of how some college fans are still rewiring their thinking as the sport as turned from amateur to professional right before their eyes.

These are business decisions being made during this trying time of college football’s transition from amateurism to free agency.

Downs, who starred at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, was understandably in high demand, the No. 1-ranked player who has gone in the portal.

But when Downs or any player chooses whatever school for whatever reason, neither he nor his family motives should have to come under scrutiny and attack on social media channels.

RELATED: Connor Riley story on Downs choosing Ohio State

There are few things more cowardly and less credible than anonymous attacks, and those taking part should think twice before hitting the “send” button.

The late Vince Dooley had everything to do with building Georgia football into a class program as well as a powerhouse, and several coaches have maintained that look and feel in the years since.

The Downs’ case was an example of social media and overzealous websites pouring fuel to the fire on the family’s anticipated decision, with what proved to be erroneous “sure thing” and “done deal” reports.

A brand-new but broken collegiate free-agent and transfer system was at the root cause in what has become a one-of-a-kind and hopefully short-lived Wild Wild West setting in collegiate football.

Surely this can’t last, it’s truly not sustainable, and the next step for NCAA leadership is cleaning up the ridiculous football calendar that contributes to an already challenging mess.

How does Smart — or any other coach — sleep at night trying to solve roster management problems that would stump “Good” Will Hunting?

The transfer window overlaps with the early signing day, and then there are NFL early-exemption considerations and the possibility of a transfer window exemption, but also a need to get a waiver from the school president should a late transfer come in.

It’s all happening in real time, and one player’s decision affects another, just as one coach leaving has a ripple effect as other head coaches leave their jobs behind to fill vacancies.

As for Georgia, the truly unfortunate thing in all of this is some fans were so caught up in a player their program never had and doesn’t have, that they overlooked significant achievements of the special players on the current roster.

Where was the fanfare for C.J. Allen, Earnest Greene lll and Peyton Woodring this week?

Do many Georgia fans even know the Bulldogs were one of only two programs to land three freshman players on the FWAA Freshman All-American team?

It’s a reality that the immediacy of this generation is such that “next” is always at the top of the list.

But this offseason is also an acceptable time to reflect and look back on just how special Georgia football has become.

Indeed, these Bulldogs will go into next season the likely No. 1 when they face Clemson — the other team with three Freshman All-American selections — in the opening game in Atlanta.

And, when Georgia plays its home opener, incoming 5-star safety KJ Bolden making his Sanford Stadium debut, it will do so with the longest active home win streak in the nation and school history (25 games).

The Bulldogs will put their SEC and school record streak of 27-straight league wins on the line at Kentucky in Week Three, and by Week Four, first-year co-defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson will be dialed in.

Robinson, perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition in any program, will have a strong scouting report when the Bulldogs play at Alabama on Sept. 28, too.

It’s a Crimson Tide team that not only lost Downs, but also no longer has former Georgia players Jermaine Burton and Trezman Marshall lining up to help beat their former program.

For all of the Alabama fans’ complaints about programs raiding their roster, did anyone consider that Burton led their team in receiving and scored a TD in the win over UGA and Marshall was second in sacks and came up with the pivotal turnover at the Bulldogs’ 11-yard line?

It’s a crazy time, to be sure, and anytime a former Georgia high school star is available to the Bulldogs people will take notice.

But at the end of the day, it’s up to the players and their families to make their own decisions for their own reasons, and that needs to be respected by everyone -- even that extreme 10 percent that exists in every fanbase.

Georgia fans want to win, for sure, but there’s a certain way Smart wants to go about it, like the legendary Dooley, with class.

Mike Griffith has covered college sports the past 30 years, 27 in the SEC as beat writer at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. Follow him on X @MikeGriffith32 and watch the “On the Beat” Show on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.