Kirby Smart concerned college football teams will ‘buy a championship’

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart believes the biggest issue with college football has to do with the transfer portal. However, he also believes there is a big issue with name, image and likeness deals stating that with the way the NIL is going, teams could “buy a championship” if parity isn’t maintained.

“You could end up with some haves and have-nots out there and ultimately a team could drive prices and go buy a championship, like you’re talking about with super teams,” Smart said when asked about undefeated teams in college football at the SEC spring meetings.

The NIL has affected Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs in several ways. The most recent example came when five-star offensive tackle recruit Jackson Cantwell, who surprisingly picked the Miami Hurricanes over the Georgia Bulldogs. One of the reasons for Cantwell’s commitment was said to be a massive NIL package worth $2 million a year.

Smart has made it clear that he wouldn’t want a freshman to make more than a senior. However, he believes that if the NIL isn’t regulated, it could be a threat to parity, as teams could sign the best recruits to rapidly increase their team’s success. Unless there’s some sort of cap, then certain schools could continue to have a significant advantage solely from having more NIL funding.

The 2023 Michigan Wolverines were the last undefeated team in college football. Before that, Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs were undefeated in 2022.