Scott Sinclair has keyed positive Georgia football culture shift of Kirby Smart Era

ATHENS — Georgia football has developed a reputation for developing players during the Kirby Smart era, and Scott Sinclair has everything to do with that according to a former NFL scout.

“I think Coach Sinclair is a stud, one of the best in college football with what he does,” said Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl executive director and a former Super Bowl-winning scout with New England and Seattle.

“They are developing their guys better than they have in the past.”

WATCH: Georgia elevates offseason training with ‘Hunger Games’

Sinclair could be in line to start getting paid like it.

Sinclair’s pay is closer to the middle of the SEC than the top, per USA Today data.

Sinclair’s current contract calls for him to make $450,000 annually, according to information obtained by DawgNation through a FOIA request.

Iowa’s Chris Doyle sets the bar nationally at $800,000 a year. Tennessee’s Craig Fitzgerald is the highest paid in the SEC at $625.000.

Smart said before last season Sinclair and his staff were the best in the country.

“I want to give a lot of credit to Scott Sinclair and his staff, they do tireless work during the summer,” Smart said last August. “Our guys have been excited to get started for camp and Scott’s staff did a great job of working with them. It is very time intensive. Sometimes they have to have four and five different workouts a day with different groups, so they’re repeating the same workouts.

“Our strength staff is by far the best in the country, in my opinion, at what they do.”

Georgia recently hired former Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran, who was making $595,000 in that role with the Crimson Tide.

Nagy brought up Sinclair without being asked.

The question was about the difference he has seen in the culture under Smart at Georgia, and could Nagy identify some characteristics of the Smart Era.

“It’s a little early for that, it’s been four years, I don’t have a great sense for that,” Nagy said. “I do think he has cleaned some things up.

“I think they’ve gotten a lot better in the weight room over the years.”

Sinclair’s videos certainly must keep staff morale high and help in recruiting.

It’s also clear the players enjoy having some exposure to their fans and followers in an otherwise heavily restricted and closed football culture.

Sinclair has been with Smart from the onset, coming over after stints at Central Florida and Marshall.

Nagy did comment on the Georgia culture, likening it to Alabama before ultimately bringing the conversation back to Sinclair.

“In terms of the culture, Kirby did bring a lot of the same philosophical things from Tuscaloosa, and trying to instill the same things,” Nagy said. “He’s obviously doing great job. They are talented, they are recruited well every year, and not just recruiting well – again, that doesn’t always equate to what guys are as juniors and seniors.

“The most important thing is they are developing their guys in the weight room and on the field with their coaching staff.”

Here’s a look at the Top 10 highest paid strength and conditioning coaches last year, per USA Today database:

(SEC Coaches in boldface type)

• Iowa coach Chris Doyle 800,000

• Ohio State coach Mickey Marotti 735,000

• Tennessee Craig Fitzgerald 625,000

• Clemson coach Joey Batson $610,000

• Alabama coach Scott Cochran $595,000*

• Texas A&M coach Jerry Schmidt $583,000

• LSU coach Tommy Moffitt $520,000

• Michigan coach Ben Herbert $500,000

• Oklahoma State coach Rob Glass $500,000