Sadly, the excitement that comes with college football kicking off every Labor Day weekend has been overshadowed by a courtroom. This all started when Lane Kiffin and LSU used an NCAA eligibility loophole to bring Dae'Quan Wright to Baton Rouge.
Wright was previously on contract with the Cleveland Browns and had been with them throughout the summer.
Smart made his opinion clear, stating that he is "worried about our team, our organization, how we do things." Smart also stated, "The opportunities presented to the guys on our team are important to me. They've earned those opportunities through an offseason, through a summer program, through a really tough fall camp. You have to decide, each and every person, if that's valuable enough to warrant replacing your players that have worked with your team with others."
Last night, an injunction was granted by a Louisiana judge to allow these players to return to college football. While Smart and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey remain firm on their stance, current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp showed his support on Twitter.
Without Congress acting, it’s the responsibility of coaches, universities, conferences, and everyone who loves college sports to start acting with some damn common sense. If we don’t, one of the greatest American traditions will cease to exist.
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) September 4, 2026
The @SEC and @universityofga have… https://t.co/XLJA8Vpehi
Brian Kemp shows support of UGA, SEC
Kemp made a solid point that hopefully gains traction across college football. Even though a court ruling says one thing, that does not make it okay. While Commissioner Sankey has already publicly stated that he will fight this ruling on the federal level in the state of Alabama, other figures of influence within the sport can do the right thing.
As Smart stated, it is not fair for these kids who have worked all offseason for their roster spot to be overtaken by a professional athlete less than a week before the first game of the season. Wright did not go through summer camp at LSU, and so didn't any other player coming back to college football.
Trust the process of federal jurisdiction. No one should be surprised that a Louisiana judge ruled in favor of Louisiana State University. Once this hits outside of said state, the results could be very different.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders said it best last night before the Buffalos' game against Georgia Tech when he said we are tired of the NIL talk, we are ready to be back and play college football. So, let's do just that.
Georgia plays Tennessee State in Athens this weekend, and the focus will be on football, not a court ruling. And that can be thanks to our loyal head coach Kirby Smart.
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