Georgia football has now signed a top two recruiting class in the country three years in a row. Combine that with the two recent National Championships they've won and it is not a wild thing to suggest that Georgia has been the best program in the country during the NIL era.
But times are changing in the NIL era, and it may be forcing Kirby Smart and Georgia to re-evaluate how they attack recruiting when it comes to NIL.
NEW: Anonymous NIL collective and personnel staffers say Auburn, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M spent the most on their 2025 recruiting classes💰
— On3 (@On3sports) February 5, 2025
(via @PeteNakos_) https://t.co/RyXhLcsY97 pic.twitter.com/Sy2QW5iEY7
Georgia's rivals led the way in 2025
The 2025 recruiting class has come to an end, and Georgia finished with the No. 2 class in the country behind Texas. Now the last thing any Georgia fan should be suggessting is that this is a failure, but one trend that happened during this recruiting cycle could be a little concerning for UGA.
The above post from On3 lists the teams that reportedly spent the most NIL money during this past recruiting cycle. And unfortunately for Georgia, a lot of their rivals and SEC competition are listed including Auburn, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. Now it clearly didn't matter this cycle because Georgia signed the second best class in the country at a "discount." But this increase in spending from Georgia's biggest competitors is not a good sign.
Georgia may need to start spending more money
Georgia has always had one of the strongest NIL programs since NIL was allowed in college football, and the above report from this past recruiting cycle does not change that. But this could be the beginning of a trend where Georgia starts getting outspent by their biggest competition both in the SEC and on a national level. And it appears every day that more and more recruits are starting to care only about making the most money possible instead of finding the best fit for themselves at the next level.
So Georgia may have to think of a new strategy which might involve spending a lot more money in the next recruiting cycle. That will announce to the college football world that Georgia is in fact one of the best programs in the country when it comes to NIL, which could be very crucial to portray as recruits are demanding more and more each year when it comes to NIL.