Georgia HC Kirby Smart exposes alleged $20,000 unethical recruiting process involving high school prospects

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart has dropped a bombshell revelation about a controversial NIL practice that colleges adopt when recruiting high school prospects. On Wednesday, Smart made the revelation in a chat with Yahoo! Sports.

He claimed some college NIL collectives are striking deals with high school recruits.

These deals, according to Smart, pay recruits “as much as $20,000” monthly to remain committed to college programs. In addition, prospects who fail to honor these deals are asked to refund whatever amount they may have already received, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Robb Dellenger.

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This revelation adds a new layer to NIL controversies in prep and college sports. It's ironic coming from a figure like Smart, who coaches at a Power Four program. Many Power Four programs have faced sharp criticism from smaller programs, accusing them of luring their commits with lucrative NIL deals.

Coach Smart’s revelation only shows a growing frustration among stakeholders in college recruitment and how the largely unregulated NIL landscape contributes to this. This may remain the state of things until the House v. NCAA settlement is finalized.

The aftermath of the House v. NCAA settlement will reshape the Power Four conferences. However, it still requires formal approval from California district court Judge Claudia Ann Wilken, which is expected soon.

Kirby Smart is confident in Georgia’s SEC supremacy

The Georgia Bulldogs got a new SEC rival last season when the Texas Longhorns competed in the conference for the first time. While Steve Sarkisian’s men held their own in a new environment, the Bulldogs defeated them twice in the past season, first during the regular season. Kirby Smart’s side came out victorious again in the SEC championship game to claim the title once more.

Meanwhile, Smart was recently confronted with the suggestion that Texas might overturn his team’s dominance in the SEC and win the championship next fall. This came in the form of a question at an interview to promote the College Football 26 video game. A reporter asked him:

“Is it going to be tough watching Texas hoist the SEC championship trophy this year?”

The multiple national championship-winning coach responded while smiling:

“In what sport, baseball or basketball or…?”

The Bulldogs will kick off their 2025 season on Aug. 30 when they host Marshall for their first game of the season.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Alvin Amansec