SEC commissioner boldly proclaims what Kirby Smart won't say out loud

Kirby Smart has never kept his opionions to himself. That is especially the case when it comes to the Transfer Portal and NIL and the downfalls he feels exist in both.

But there are some things that a coach (including Smart) can't say. Certain opinions about the NIL and Transfer Portal era would paint Georgia football in a bad light if Smart ever discussed them, so he has no choice but to keep those thoughts to himself.

SEC Commisioner Greg Sankey however doesn't need to keep any opinions to himself though. And his stance on players staying in college for way too long is something that Smart likely agrees with as well but is too afraid to admit.

“It is a temporary period of time for a college student to be a college athlete, not a career athletic situation.”

Smart has never publically commented on players staying in college for six, seven or even eight years. On the surface it seems obvious that players should never be in college for that long, but in today's college football world there are plenty of players willing to fight the NCAA in court just to play another year of football.

Smart is wise to not discuss this topic because there is always a chance a player at Georgia or someone from another school he is interested in finds themselves in this position. If they knew that Smart was agaist players staying in school for this long then they would never want to play at Georgia. But even though Smart has never commented on this subject, it's clear that he likely agrees with Sankey.

Smart has shared in the past that he never wants to build his team predominantly with the Transfer Portal. He actually despises teams that do that. Smart has also shown that he will never overspend for recruits with Georgia's NIL money like other programs do now as well.

So while Smart has never commented on players who stay in college for so long, his feelings on NIL and the Transfer Portal make it clear that he probably agrees with Sankey.