After missing out on 5-star, Kirby Smart says he prefers ‘a freshman come in and not make more than a senior’

The last two weeks have been eventful for Georgia in recruiting, as the Bulldogs added three commitments, including five-star quarterback Jared Curtis and Top 100 safety Jordan Smith. But this week has been headlined by Georgia missing out on five-star offensive tackle target Jackson Cantwell, who made his commitment to Miami on Tuesday. The Bulldogs were the perceived leader in his recruitment, but on the day of Cantwell’s decision, word emerged that the Hurricanes’ NIL offer was well and beyond that of any other program. The discussion since then has centered around the difference in NIL packages offered by both programs and how that factored into the decision, with Cantwell pushing back on the “false narrative” that reporters have put out there with sourced info.

This comes five months after the Early Signing Period commitment of class of 2025 in-state five-star Justus Terry to Texas, where Georgia was seen as the prohibitive favorite throughout his recruitment, only to see the Longhorns swoop in with an enticing NIL package and land the coveted defensive lineman. Georgia signed the No. 2 recruiting class in the country that cycle and is likely to sign a top 3 recruiting class in the current cycle as well, so Kirby Smart will not be hurting for talent anytime soon.

Even though Georgia, like every program, misses out on prospects every cycle, the narrative has emerged that the Bulldogs will not win a NIL bidding war for talent. The high-profile recruitments of players like Cantwell and Terry have the fanbase debating whether Georgia should, and wondering whether Smart would have lost these recruiting battles before NIL was approved four years ago. Others have wondered whether Smart needs someone with a general manager title to specifically handle the financial decisions on the roster, something he pushed back on this week.

Speaking on the Paul Finbaum Show at the celebrity pro-am at the Regions Tradition Champions Club in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday, Smart noted his preference is to pay top dollar to the established contributors already on his roster.

“I just want it to be able to have a freshman come in and not make more than a senior,” Smart said.

Smart bracketed that statement by framing his stance as one that protects non-revenue sports and smaller programs.

“And where we are right now, I think every coach agrees, we’re in a good place with being able to compensate players,” Smart said. “Call it pay-for-play, call it NIL, I don’t care what you call it. We’re all in a good place with that. We just want it to be in a way that’s sustainable.

“I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive. We’re on the brink of probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports. What’s the pushback going to be then when you start cutting non-revenue sports? I don’t want that to happen.”

The open market has led to high school recruits signing NIL deals that rival those of some rookie contracts in the NFL. Meanwhile, in the four years since NIL was approved, Georgia has had 46 players selected in the NFL Draft, more than any other program. Smart has continued to recruit players with the mindset that long-term development for the NFL outweighs a bigger payday immediately out of high school. 

“It’s not the fact they’re making money. It’s not that. It’s not an issue,” Smart said. “The issue is the inability to pinpoint what the rules are and what we can do. Nobody’s upset about it. We’re all very thankful. SEC players are the most marketable players. They get the most coverage. They get seen on TV. I am so comfortable with that. We’re past that point. We just want to know the parameters with which we’re playing by and be able to sustain a budget and have other sports survive. I think every coach would take that at this point. There’s no old school, young school. There’s none of that. We’re comfortable paying the players.”

Georgia is preparing for a House settlement that could provide some structure, with the ability to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool on July 1, with about $13.5 million expected to go to football players.

“It’s trying times, because not everybody knows kind of what we’re playing by, you know, in terms of the rules and everything,” Smart said. “But it’ll work itself out. It’s one of those challenging times for everybody. Our coaches and assistants are the ones on the road having to deal with it, and the head coaches are out trying to raise money and playing golf tournaments.”