Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has changed college football and college atheltics in general forever. The way college football has been played is drastically different from what it looks like 10 years ago, and that is all thanks to NIL.
Whether NIL is good or bad for the sport is a separate conversation people continue to have, but the fact of the matter is that Georgia needs to be at the top when it comes to NIL if they want to compete for National Championships. Thankfully that has been the case and as a result UGA has won two National titles since NIL was enacted.
However, a major change is coming to Georgia's NIL department, specifically with the football program.
Head of NIL is stepping down
According to Christian Kirby with with Georgia Bulldogs on SI, Classic City Collective CEO Matt Hibbs is reportedly stepping away from his role with Georgia football's NIL department. Hibbs was responsible for handling negotiations in the NIL space for all of Georgia's football players, so it's clear that his departure will have a massive impact on the program.
Thankfully Georgia already has his replacement set as Tanner Potts will step in to fill Hibbs' former role. Potts has been in the Georgia athletic department since 2021 and has ample experience in the NIL space during his time with UGA. In fact, Potts former role was the assistant athletic director of NIL, so it's clear that Georgia is replacing Hibbs with someone who is extremely knowledgeable in the NIL space, especially in Athens.
The expectation will be that Georgia football will not skip a beat when it comes to NIL even with these changes. The Bulldogs have always been one of the biggest NIL players in the entire country, but recent reports have surfaced that suggest that Georgia has not been spending as much money as others throughout the country.
Sure the amount of money being spent doesn't matter as long as the Bulldogs continue to sign the top recruiting classes in the country, but hopefully this change will yield good results for Georgia because nobody wants to see the Bulldogs take a step back in college football in any aspect of the sport. And as long as Kirby Smart is head coach, there is a good chance Georgia won't be going anywhere.