April 7th and April 14th, 2025—save the dates. Since these could be the dates when Kirby Smart and Georgia will enter a new era. College football may change for good or worse; no one knows the exact outcome. But one thing is clear: CFB will usher in a new period, and coaches like Kirby Smart will have to wade through a whole new set of obstacles. But this begs the question: what about those dates?
Well, April 7th will be the day when the House v. NCAA settlement will reach its conclusion, and new circumstances will present themselves. For starters, the settlement will enable players and athletes to receive a chunk of the revenue capped at $20 million for the ‘Power 4’ programs. Then there will be caps on the roster, too, with 105 players per program. Increasing from 85 players previously. Lastly, the major change would be the independent NIL deals, which would not count towards the $20 million cap. Amidst all these changes, Coach Kirby Smart looks more worried than expected.
The hosts of ‘UGA Football on Dawg Post’ were discussing how Kirby Smart needs to plan for the future CFB landscape. “I think they probably have to adapt the way they do things a little more. I know Kirby doesn’t want to try to simplify the way he does it, but you know, in this era of college football, every year, there’s probably going to be this amount of new players with the transfer portal and, uh, the incoming freshmen that they see in spring practice.”
Well, the transfer portal is a harsh reality right now, and players jump ship on a moment’s notice. More than 25 players entered the transfer portal last year and joined other teams, leaving Georgia. This year, 15 players entered the winter transfer window, including Carson Beck who joined Miami. One of the prominent ESPN analysts has even decreed more than 35 players jumping the Dawg ship this season. That would certainly worry Georgia and Kirby Smart.
David Pollack, former ESPN analyst, put out a harsh verdict for Kirby Smart. “I think you’re going to have 25 plus portal additions. I think people are going to jump in the portal because that’s the world we live in.” He added, “I would be shocked if you don’t get to 30. I think you’ll get to 35 like that is the kind of action you’ll get in the portal.”
In total, 12 players out of the 15 have finally found their destination colleges, but still, 3 players remain to seek new pastures. The players would be Jaden Rashada, one of the most crucial players at UGA camp. Then there is Michael Jackson, a former Trojans wide receiver who couldn’t find his place in the Dawgs’ setup. Rara Thomas would be another player still eyeing a new destination. Smart also doesn’t have that many players to supplement the projected attrition, as he has just 6 transfers with 28 freshman enrollees.
Kirby Smart expresses concern over the new CFB era
In a recent press conference, Kirby Smart was asked about the proposed roster cap and the changing landscape of college football after the settlement is finalized. Smart didn’t mince his words one bit and gave a blunt verdict. “It’s really unfortunate that I don’t know if competitive balance is going to come out of it. I don’t know if the kids win this model if the kids win long term…. What’s going on right now is not good for anybody.”
Kirby Smart looked skeptical and wary of the sweeping changes proposed in the new model after April 7th. He also stressed and pondered the 105-player cap, which, in his words, could make things more ‘complicated.’ Smart especially emphasized the pointless nature of the cap number that has been expected to be put in by the House v. NCAA settlement.
“So the 105 number, the NIL number, what’s the cap number, what is this going to be? There’s stuff going on right now, guys in college football. I mean, there is people reaching out to have a Zoom call and present all the players they represent that are on teams, including our team. You wanna get on this Zoom and look at all of these players? Well, some of them are mine.”
All in all, it looks like Kirby Smart needs to accept the harsh reality of the transfer window, which is going to start on 14th April, hence its importance. However, with the changing reality, many coaches have started putting in contracts to bind players from leaving, which could be done only after paying a stipulated buyout sum. Could this be the direction towards which Smart can ultimately head after the settlement announcement?
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