Here is the May 15 edition of The Daily Recap presented by My Perfect Franchise.

The bigger picture

Rivals’ Adam Gorney excellently laid out the practical way to approach what happened between Georgia and offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell, who committed to Miami on Tuesday.

Most felt Cantwell was going to choose Georgia up until the day of his commitment ceremony. However, his relationship with the Miami coaching staff and a hefty NIL compensation package ended up swaying the Hurricanes’ way. While the recruiting loss stings, Gorney pointed out that head coach Kirby Smart is not going to put that kind of money on the line for one player.

While talent is key in college football, there are many other factors involved. After all, no one player is bigger than the overall concept of a team.

“Smart is just not going to push his entire stack into the middle on one player, say, Cantwell,” Gorney wrote. “If the Bulldogs can circle back on five-star Immanuel Iheanacho or make a less-costly run at four-stars Carter Scruggs, Malakai Lee, Ekene Ogboko and others, that might be more rewarding in the end. At least, that’s the bet Smart is making.

“With more NIL money freed up as Cantwell packs his flip flops for South Beach, Georgia can spread more around to multiple offensive linemen, to four-star tight end Mark Bowman, to four-star all-purpose back Derrek Cooper, to five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and others.”

There are numerous approaches to building a roster. Smart’s preferred method in the NIL era is to get as many talented and motivated players on his team. Paying a large sum on one player is going to cut into what the program can afford on other players.

In addition, back in March, Smart said what he wants to see out of young players in his program.

“I want to see the fire,” Smart said. “I want to see the passion, the energy. I want to see who wants to be a good football player. Who really cares about this game. Like, they care more about the game than they do their NIL revenue stream. Like if you really, really, really care about the game and want to be good it doesn’t matter about any kind of money. It matters how I play the game and more and more we’re seeing across college football, the purest, the ones that care about the game the most, play the hardest.”

“And usually the team that plays the hardest wins. I know everybody thinks it’s just whoever is more talented but there is a whole lot to how hard you play and how much you care about it.”

Still a great offensive line

Heading into the 2025 season, Georgia figures to field a great offensive line. In fact, ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic believes the Bulldogs have the best offensive line in the SEC.

“I think last year is a bit of an anomaly for Georgia,” Cubelic said. “Right this second, I am going with Georgia as the No. 1 group. I think injuries got in the way.”

Cubelic is confident in the bulk of Georgia’s line, including center Drew Bobo, who is set to replace Jared Wilson as a starter. Interestingly enough, he said that Earnest Greene is among the few question marks of the group.

“I am going to give Earnest Greene a little bit of a pass, …” Cubelic said. “I’ve seen great football in this kid. It’s out there. The film of Earnest Greene being dominant is there. Consistently can it come back? Maybe, if it does, I think Georgia’s got a chance to be the best offensive line in the SEC.”

Also on UGASports

Film don’t lie: Drew Bobo.

Ryland Zaborowski continues to progress from his elbow injury.

Previewing No. 4 Georgia’s upcoming baseball series against Texas A&M.

One last homestand

Are you a displaced corporate executive or want to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, Andy Luedecke can help!

Andy is a longtime Rivals board member, diehard college football fan and franchise veteran. He owns multiple franchises and businesses and uses his expertise to help others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process.

Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. It’s 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!

Find Your Perfect Franchise at MyPerfectFranchise.Net

Contact Andy Luedecke anytime at: andy@myperfectfranchise.net or (404) 973-9901.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart paints a concerning future for college athletics with his latest statement regarding NIL.

College football head coaches are constantly forced to navigate new issues revolving around the league and have seen the sport undergo some massive changes over the past decade. But no other change appears to be more headache-inducing than the emergence of NIL.

While the policy change has been viewed as an overall positive, it has brought forth its fair share of issues. Many of which have created financial ripples throughout college athletics. Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart shared his thoughts on the issue and expressed his desires for the sport moving forward.

“I just want to be able to have a freshman come in and not make more than a senior and I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive.” Said Smart. “You know, we’re on the brink of probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports.”

While football is a massive sport that produces millions of dollars in revenue each season, other sports may be forced to go by the waist-side due to the increase of competitive prices when it comes to fielding a football roster.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a simple fix for the issues that the NIL era of college football presents, and the sport (along with other college athletics) will likely continue to undergo a litany of changes in the near future.

Last Updated on May 15, 2025

As we approach the fourth anniversary of name, image, and likeness, let’s examine the rise of its $1 billion-plus economy. This past year has brought notable changes to NIL, including deals with influential voices on and off the field and the landmark decision of the House v. NCAA legal settlement, which will allow athletes to participate in revenue sharing with their respective institutions. 

SponsorsUnited, an innovative global sports and entertainment platform, released a NIL Endorsements Report for 2024-25. The report spans from March 2024 to March 2025 and incorporateed roughly 2,000 brands, 3,000 deals, and over 4,000 social media posts. Further, SponsorUnited’s proprietary social media tracking metrics were used to collect the data around total engagement across athlete-controlled accounts on TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. A critical component is that this report includes athletes with a combined following of over 10,000 followers across the platforms above for the social analysis portion. Below are some of the key findings that stood out about the report. 

Top Brands Leading the NIL Market

Five brands lead the way among the athletes tracked in this report: EA Sports, Raising Cane’s, Powerade, Epsilon, and Adidas. EA Sports has claimed pole position on the NIL brand scale with the launch of their highly anticipated College Football 26 video game. Over 14,000 FBS collegiate players received $1,500 for appearing in the game, a $600 increase from last year’s edition. Moreover, Epsilon took a page out of EA Sports’ book and created a similar campaign, ensuring every athlete had a chance to monetize their NIL through a $500 Instagram campaign on teamwork. Raising Cane’s has cemented itself as a NIL mainstay, partnering with National Championship collegiate athletes to surprise customers and utilize high-traffic advertising areas like Times Square to market its apparel. 

Technology and Beverage Deals on the Rise

Technology and non-alcoholic beverage deals saw a surge in activity amongst top athletes. Technology partnerships increased by 29%, while beverage deals increased by 19% year-to-year, prioritizing athlete-led partnerships. In addition to EA Sports’ influence on the technology side of things, Nintendo and Epic’s Fortnite video game drove key partnerships with some of college football’s top stars, including Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. Additionally, athletes took part in Prime Video’s exclusive content, which promoted products and Prime trials to other athletes and adults. The campaigns highlighted the parallels between the athletes’ lifestyle and Prime’s ease across music streaming, entertainment, and retail. 

The Surge of Energy Drink Partnerships

Energy drink companies led a new influx of partnerships, accounting for a quarter of the 39 new non-alcoholic beverages that made new deals, which energy drink companies represented. Behind them was water at 20% and a three-tier system between sports drinks, juices, and carbonated beverages. According to the report, what led to the increase in the amount of non-alcoholic beverage deals is the brands’ focus on tailored content experiences. These include content centered on taste tests and health, further strengthening the relationship between athletes and fans. 

Retail NIL Deals Experience a Decline

Retail NIL brand deals have decreased by 9% year-to-year. Companies like Urban Outfitters and Champs Sports have taken a step back. The move by brands is not due to one-off content campaigns but to reevaluate their NIL strategies as we advance. 

TikTok: An Untapped NIL Opportunity

The biggest area of opportunity lies within TikTok. On the social side, Instagram leads the way for branded posts across the major NIL categories. TikTok represents an underutilized social vehicle despite its potential for optimal engagement. TikTok dominates in engagement in categories like Food and Consumer products, where brands see more than 10,000 engagements on average. Further, the report examined the top 150 most engaging social posts and identified that they included characteristics such as humor, personal updates with authentic tones, subtle call to action, and show don’t tell integrations where the featured athletes were the central theme in the campaigns.