Georgia's Kirby Smart sounds alarm on how NIL affects recruiting

Senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports the latest on Congress' concerns. 

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart sounded the alarm on incoming recruits in the era of name, image and likeness and college athletes getting paid.

Smart, who was at Georgia’s Pro Day to support the former Bulldogs stars who entered the NFL Draft and worked out in front of scouts to increase their stock, told reporters that the incoming crop of talent is looking to cash in on the opportunity of playing sports.

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Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs and Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shake hands prior to the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 2, 2023, in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

"It’s a great sell to the kids that will listen to it," Smart said, via On3 Sports. "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."

Smart’s remarks came as former Alabama football coach Nick Saban assailed the importance of NIL over the last year. He revealed to ESPN earlier this month that it was a part of the reason why he retired. He said players were asking for "assurances" they were definitely going to play and "How much are you going to pay me?" Saban said the program was intended to build for the players’ futures and possible NFL careers.

"So I'm saying to myself, 'Maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it's all about how much money can I make as a college player,’" Saban added.

"I'm not saying that's bad. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying