“I think it’s impressive that guys like Kirby Smart have been signing the number one class in the nation without any NIL money.”
During SEC Media Days last week, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart made a jab at Oregon’s longstanding ties with Nike and how that would effect their recruiting process in the realm of NIL deals, to which Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has since reacted.
During his address at the event, Smart expressed his envy for Lanning and Oregon because of the amount of NIL money Nike is giving to the program.
“I wish I could get some of that NIL money he’s giving Dan Lanning,” said Smart.
Georgia's Kirby Smart references Nike CEO Phil Knight: "I wish I could get some of that NIL money he's giving Dan Lanning"
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 16, 2024
Instead of disputing Smart’s assertions, Lanning welcomed Oregon’s backing for his program. However, he appears to be doubtful that Smart and Georgia do not receive significant cash from partners in order to provide NIL money to top recruits.
“I think it’s impressive that guys like Kirby Smart have been signing the number one class in the nation without any NIL money,” Lanning said on Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “Obviously, Coach Smart took a shot at us.” I do not think that is a secret. If you want to be a top-ten team in college football, you must have strong support.
“We have that, but it also includes the 300 teams we visited this spring. There are 23 satellite camps. When they come to our campus, our personnel, and our alignment with the rest of the university, recruiting works.”
"I think it's impressive that guys like Kirby Smart have been signing the number one class in the nation without any NIL money 😂😂
Kirby is a great mentor and I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for him" ~ @CoachDanLanning#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/78uOI655LC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 25, 2024
It doesn’t appear to be a real shot yet between the two top-tier coaches, which makes sense given that Lanning previously worked as Smart’s assistant at Georgia from 2018 to 2021 before getting the Oregon coaching job in 2022.
In fact, during his guest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Lanning praised Smart as a “great mentor” and said that he would not be where he is today without him.
“I still visit Kirby,” Lanning continued. “I consider him an excellent mentor. I would not be sitting here if it weren’t for guys like that. Kirby transformed my career. Coach Smart has definitely taught me more than any other coach I’ve worked with throughout my career.
Smart and Lanning clearly share a high level of mutual regard. However, Smart and Lanning may be vying for the same elite-level recruitment possibilities. So there may be some underlying jealousy from Smart towards Lanning.
