HOOVER, Ala. – On one side of the Buckingham Suite on the third floor of the Wynfrey Hotel stood Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. He already has inked a fairly high-profile name, image and likeness deal with ESM. On the other sat defensive lineman Jordan Davis, who has, well, inked nothing.
They provided a perfect contrast of the disparate representation we’re witnessing in the early days of the NIL era. Some are benefiting greatly, while others aren’t benefiting at all.
“Speaking for me, I’m just confused by it all,” said Davis, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound senior nose guard. “So, I haven’t really done anything. It’s confusing, honestly. I’m just more worried about the game.”
The thinking is that Davis eventually will land some kind of deal, if not at Georgia then immediately after his college career is over. Just the fact that he’s back with the Bulldogs is a bit of surprise. He was considered one of the most NFL-ready juniors on Georgia’s roster after last season. But he chose to return for his senior season.
Likewise, Daniels is considered a very promising pro prospect. However, after playing only four games as a sophomore last season, everybody’s eager to see what Daniels can do in a full season of leading what’s expected to be a championship-contending Georgia football program.
Count Daniels tops among those wondering about that. That’s why, even though his professional marketing team has projected an income potential of “six to seven figures” while he’s in college, Daniels said he hasn’t spent much time actively pursuing any of it.
Credit: SEC
“I’d like to focus on it, but honestly, it’s too late to do that,” said Daniels, who so far has announced only a memorabilia and autograph deal with Sports Collectibles. “Just coming up July 1, I’ve been in season mode since June. So, it’s a great opportunity, and there’s things we’ll do and opportunities, I’m sure, that will come up. But being in season mode the last two months, it’s difficult to put too much emphasis on it, and I think that’s the general consensus from most players.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart, the first coach up on the second day of SEC Football Media Days on Tuesday, made it clear that he is all for NIL and the financial opportunities it creates. But he also emphasized that it’s just another thing for college players to navigate while already struggling to balance a myriad of responsibilities and commitments.
“I don’t know if anybody actually realizes how much of a burden these guys have on them, from performance, family members, hometown, all this burden is there,” Smart said in an interview with beat reporters before taking the big stage in the Wynfrey’s grand ballroom Tuesday. “This is an opportunity to reward them for their hard work. I love that, I think it’s great, it’s an awesome opportunity, we support them. But we can’t arrange deals, so our emphasis has been on education.”
To date, most of the NIL activity among Georgia players has been limited to small, local sponsorships, autograph signings, apparel deals and football camps. But with the Bulldogs’ season opener against a projected top-5 Clemson team less than seven weeks away and preseason camp only two weeks away, time is starting to run out on the players for seeking income opportunities.
Daniels has an ideal arrangement in that he has a marketing team out there knocking on doors for him. But, so far at least, he said it hasn’t resulted in any life-altering developments for him.
“That’s probably how it’s going to be the first year or so, I’d guess,” Daniels said. “I think it’s a great opportunity; it’s awesome; it’s a great thing. But I’m just getting ready for the season and delegating it all to my management company.”
Credit: SEC
Credit: SEC
Davis doesn’t have that luxury. So, for now at least, he’s fully focused on football. He figures if that goes well enough, maybe money-making opportunities will come find him.
“I mean, no matter who you are or where you are, NIL’s not going to work out for you if you’re not good at football, you know?” said Davis, who came to Georgia as a 3-star prospect out of Charlotte. “Shout-outs and kudos to the guys who are doing deals. I’m really proud of them and using their platform for the better. But in terms of my side, I’m confused. I don’t know what’s going on. It’s just a lot of stuff, and coming from three years of not having this opportunity, you know, it’s just a lot.”
UGA contracted the outside consulting firm Altius to help the players understand what is legit, what’s impermissible, how to handle the tax implications, and so forth. Icon Source, a logistics group led regionally by former Bulldog Drew Butler, is assisting the school and the players with compliance.
Davis figures it’s the underclassmen who really are going to reap the benefits of NIL. They’ll have more time to establish their own brands and see where the market goes and how it develops. In the meantime, he plans to focus on offseason training and studying to enhance his NIL.
Smart believes that’s good advice for young players, as well.
“I don’t think it’s going to have the same impact that a lot of people do,” Smart said. “I think it’s going to work itself out, it’s going to settle itself out. I don’t know a lot of branded companies that are going to invest in an 18-, 19-, 20-year old that’s an unproven commodity. What might he do that they might not expect? I think you’re going to find smaller deals, which is what we’ve seen for the most part, so far.”
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