The hot topic this offseason surrounding college football remains name, image, and likeness (NIL). On Tuesday, former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach and seven-time champion Nick Saban spoke in front of a panel hosted by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, discussing the topic at the forefront of college sports.
Saban spoke on the priorities of recruits shifting towards compensation rather than playing time or education. On Wednesday, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart had his turn to discuss recruits and NIL during his program’s pro day.
Georgia Football HC: Kirby Smart Talks NIL
Georgia football will be well represented during next month’s league draft, with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah having four Bulldogs in his top 50 incoming players (tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, offensive tackle Amarius Mims, and corner Kamari Lassiter). Smart believes that Georgia’s recent success of players becoming high-end draft picks will help in recruiting talks as long as high school players will listen.
Kirby Smart on NFL over NIL💯
“There is a lot of them that want to ask about NIL. They don’t want to ask about what your NFL players have done.
I think it’s much more important how you develop players than how much NIL you can give them.”https://t.co/JCJRkmnp7c pic.twitter.com/tZE1laBzHH
— On3 (@On3sports) March 13, 2024
“It’s a great sell to the kids who will listen to it. A lot of them want to ask about NIL. They don’t want to ask about what your NFL players have done. I think it’s much more important how you develop players than how much NIL you can give them,” said Smart.
Georgia has had 25 players drafted in the past two seasons. In 2022, five players went in the first round, with defensive end Travon Walker going to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the first overall pick. However, like many coaches, Smart has had experiences where high school recruits become fixated on NIL opportunities within a program.
NIL: Taking Over College Football
In 2021, the NCAA, the governing body of college sports, began the NIL era, allowing players to receive compensation. Student-athletes could now get paid. Meanwhile, the NCAA transfer portal became more lenient. Former college football great Nick Saban had a lot to say about the current landscape of the sport on Tuesday.
“Well, all the things that I believed in for all these years, 50 years of coaching, no longer exist in college athletics,” Saban said. “So it always was about developing players. It was always about helping people when you’re successful in life.”
His wife even spoke on the difficulties with NIL, saying, “All they care about is how much you’re going to pay them.'”
For More Football News:
For More Football News and to engage in further discussion, follow me on Twitter at @alec_musa. I’m always open to your thoughts and insights. You can also reach out to me via email at musaalec@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest college and NFL news, click here!