Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has not yet commented on this week’s saga involving Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban, but we already no where he stands when it comes to NIL deals.
Last week, Smart weighed in on NIL deals and the impact they’re having on college athletics. He told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum that he doesn’t want recruiting decisions to come down to which school is the highest bidder.
“I just want to make sure that the game stays at a point where we can control it,” Smart said. “I’m all for the players. We’ve had a lot of players getting opportunities with name, image, likeness. I would just like it where a decision isn’t based on where ‘I’m going to the highest bidder.’ If we could control that some kind of way, it would be much better.”
Smart’s comments have aged fairly well. After all, this week’s feud between Fisher and Saban is all about the idea of purchasing recruits.
Earlier this week, Saban said Texas A&M “bought every player” on their team.
“I mean, we were second in recruiting last year,” Saban said. “A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team – made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn’t buy one player, all right? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”
Fisher denied Saban’s claim during a press conference on Thursday.
“We never bought anybody,” he said. “No rules are broken. Nothing was done wrong. It’s a shame that you’ve got to sit here and defend 17-year-old kids and families and Texas A&M. Because we do things right. We’re always going to do things right. We’re always going to be here. We’re doing a heck of a job.”
The SEC is reportedly prohibiting coaches from commenting on this situation.