Georgia players open to NIL but focus remains team-first

All around the country this summer, NIL, or name, image, and likeness, has occupied most of the conversation around college football, as no one is completely certain of the impending effects that it will have on the sport. With rumors of eight-figure paydays being offered to recruits and various players discontent with a lack of followthrough by their schools, the Bulldogs have stood apart as a program excited to reap the rewards while simultaneously protecting themselves and their players.

Georgia player representatives were open in discussing their takes on the new frontier during SEC Media Days last week.

Sedrick Van Pran, for example, understands the benefits of NIL but is also very aware of how the team’s connection is the priority.

“I think guys are going to do NIL, and I think that’s great,” explained Van Pran. “But the biggest thing I can say is guys haven’t lost focus. We’re here to win games, you know, at the end of the day as student-athletes. Of course, we’re going to get our education and those things, but when you’re on the football field it’s time to work, it’s time to win football games. So, NIL really isn’t discussed in the locker room, it’s about winning football games for the University of Georgia.”

Nolan Smith, meanwhile, has done a tremendous job of capitalizing on his NIL opportunities. Just five days after NIL legislation went into effect in July 2021, Smith signed with BT8 Management for representation, and since then, Smith has also partnered with Candy Digital to make NFTs.

But at media days, Smith explained how NIL won’t change the fabric of the team or his approach, as he described his motive coming into the 2022 season.

“Playing for your brother next to you,” Smith said. “Not playing for NIL. Not playing to go viral. Not playing for TikTok. Playing for the guy next to you and being able to push with him through tough situations, and in the game, that’ll be something that I’d love to take for the guy next year. Don’t play for NIL deals, don’t play for money. Play for the guy next to you, play for your ‘why.’”

And of course, following last year’s National Championship game, there were few players in the country who took up more of the spotlight than Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. If the signal caller wasn’t taking your order in a Raising Cane’s drive-thru, he was probably showing off his new haircut from Great Clips. 

According to the On3 NIL Database, Bennett’s current valuation comes in at 704K, which ranks 19th among all college football players and 28th among all D1 athletes.

While Bennett has stated his support for the NIL legislation, he shared some advice that he received from former Tennessee quarterback and NFL legend Peyton Manning.

“I went to that Manning Passing Academy and one of the things I took away from it was from Peyton talking to us,” Bennett explained. “He said that when he was in the league– and he was referring to making money to the NIL that we have now– he said, ‘You know, when I did the commercials, I made sure that my training and my preparation increased’. He said he wasn’t going to be put in a situation where somebody would question, you know, ‘has he made it’ and ‘he’s not the same person anymore.’ So, I think we’ve done a good job as a team doing that and I’ve tried to make sure that that’s never called into question personally.”

Kirby Smart’s support of NIL and the Bulldog’s Classic City Collective has made the job of Georgia’s student-athletes significantly easier. While college football may still have some adjusting to do with NIL and its effects, the University of Georgia, along with its coaches and players, have taken a calculated approach that will protect the culture and prolong the benefits.