The Georgia Bulldogs have been named as one of college football’s smartest spending name, image and likeness (NIL) teams for a second straight season. Insiders say Georgia got a good value with the class of 2026, which is ranked as sixth in the country. The Bulldogs are not mentioned among college football’s top spenders (Texas Tech, USC, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M) in the 2026 recruiting class.
Despite Georgia’s efficient spending, Georgia finished with its worst recruiting class (tied) of the Kirby Smart era. The Bulldogs are no longer a lock to finish among the nation’s top-two recruiting programs in the NIL era.
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One ACC general manager says (subscription required) you have to “outspend them (Georgia) by a ton” to get a four-star prospect away from the Bulldogs. That same general manager points to Georgia’s stable program that wins year after year under coach Smart as the top reason why the Bulldogs don’t have to spend as much as other programs.
Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts with Gunner Stockton #14 during the third quarter against the Marshall Thundering Herd
Georgia missed out on a trio of potential signees in five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell and five-star tight end Mark Bowman partially due to large NIL expectations of the elite talents. Georgia prefers to retain its own roster and recruit high school kids as opposed to the transfer portal. Georgia’s philosophy will be put to the test in 2026 with the Bulldogs hoping to make a deeper College Football Playoff run.
Being a top spender appears to be paying dividends. Four of the five top spenders in recruiting (2026 cycle) made the playoff.
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The current state of NIL has disrupted some of the traditional college football powers. Despite the changing landscape, Georgia has managed to win back-to-back SEC championships and will enter the 2026 season with high expectations again.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Why opposing teams have to outspend Georgia football
