Georgia football: Kirby Smart becomes voice of reason amid Saban, Jimbo feud

Amid the Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher NIL feud sweeping the nation, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart has become a voice of reason on the matter.

Not only is Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart an absolute champion, but he is the sane one when it comes to all things NIL.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that Georgia does have an NIL collective called the Classic City Collective, but it wells aren’t as deep as “The Fund” the Aggies have to draw from in College Station. As Jimbo Fisher continues to drink Nick Saban’s milkshake, Smart is sitting back and watching the Jerry Springer SEC West bonanza unfold right before him.

Here is what Smart said on The Paul Finebaum Show last week about all things NIL.

"“I just want to make sure that the game stays at a point where we can control it,” said Smart on The Paul Finebaum Show last week. “I’m all for the players. We’ve had a lot of players getting opportunities with name, image, likeness. I would just like it where a decision isn’t based on where ‘I’m going to the highest bidder.’ If we could control that some kind of way, it would be much better.”"

Georgia football HC Kirby Smart is the voice of reason when it comes to NIL

There is a reason why Saban once said Georgia is the best job in all of college football. It has the rich tradition of a program like Alabama, but the combination of a stronger recruiting base in-state, as well as a thriving metropolis an hour away in Atlanta, gives Georgia a leg up over time, all things equal. However, the deep NIL resources in Texas have certainly ripped open a can of worms.

Yes, there is so much that great universities like Alabama and Georgia can offer to student-athletes, but oil money is not among them. Eventually, somebody not named the NCAA will have to set up some guardrails for all things NIL before things really go to hell in a handbasket. But with that in mind, Smart is right in that most players will choose schools based on things besides NIL money.

Ultimately, college is a place where young people go to learn how to make a living afterward. In addition to being in an environment where one can learn how to grow up, it is also a great time to meet people. There is so much more to the college experience than trying to get the bag. While it is great to not live on ramen, the greatest way to build one’s brand is to be successful on the field.

Georgia may have a collective, but it is not the primary reason why top players Commit to the G.

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