Georgia Bulldogs football recruiting process just got better.
Earlier this week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp passed an executive order that will allow schools in the state to directly compensate athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
The new order is effective immediately and will protect Georgia schools from facing NCAA penalties for paying their student-athletes directly.
Per ESPN, the Bulldogs don’t have plans in place to start paying student athletes immediately, though it does give them the opportunity to be competitive if other schools around the country begin to do so.
However, Virginia is currently the only other state where a similar order is in place. That means Virginia and Georgia have huge advantages when it comes to recruiting top talent around the country.
And for that, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is very appreciative.
“Appreciative,” Smart said of Georgia’s NIL order. “We want to be competitive as we can be in our field of endeavor. It’s this world we live in, and it’s not just us, apparently. I mean, it’s the whole state of Georgia, USG. I’m very appreciative of Governor Kemp and his staff for allowing us to be competitive and putting us on a level playing field and to continue to support our student-athletes. This is going to benefit the student-athletes and very appreciative of them supporting that and getting it done.”
The is no cap on the amount of money Georgia can provide their players and if the NCAA isn’t happy about it, then they will need to take it up in court.
