Kirby Smart has built Georgia’s NIL approach around a simple idea: keep the roster together, then sell recruits on development and championships instead of trying to win every bidding war.
That formula has worked. During the NIL era, Georgia has won three conference titles and two national championships. For now, Smart can still stay in the mix with the biggest spenders in college football without matching every offer that comes his way.
But the pressure point is getting harder to ignore. NIL spending keeps climbing across the sport, and Georgia’s advantage may not be built to last if the money race keeps accelerating.
One of the biggest issues is the size of the donor base. Every program leans on alumni money, and Georgia does have plenty of support.
Still, the gap with schools like Ohio State is significant. Ohio State has about 600,000 living alumni, while Georgia has 372,000.
That difference doesn’t necessarily hurt Georgia today, but it could become a real problem if the sport keeps moving deeper into an arms race.
Smart has been able to pitch recruits on something Georgia can still offer: a path to the NFL and a chance to win championships. That can offset smaller NIL packages for now. But the source of the concern is obvious - if another school starts offering a player dramatically more money, Georgia’s sales pitch gets a lot tougher to hold together.
The example given is extreme, but it makes the point. If a Power Four school were eventually offering $10 million more than Georgia to land a player, there would be no realistic way for Georgia to match it. That kind of gap isn’t the norm right now, but the fear is that college football spending is trending in that direction.
Georgia’s smaller alumni base doesn’t mean it will suddenly fall apart. The program still has enough support to keep competing near the top. But if schools with larger donor pools, like Ohio State, fully weaponize that edge, Georgia may find itself in a spot where it simply can’t keep pace forever.
There is one possible escape hatch. A salary cap, similar to what exists in professional sports, has been floated as a way to level the field.
If that ever happens, Georgia’s position would be protected. If it doesn’t, Smart may eventually have to rethink an NIL strategy that has worked - but may not be built for the long haul.
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Simpson still brings obvious long-term appeal, especially after being taken 13th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the Rams are not expected to hand out the backup role before the preseason games sort things out. For Bennett, the challenge now is simple: keep holding that edge while the coaching staff decides whether camp momentum is enough to carry into the regular season. [Read more 🡒]