Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said, "we'll have to wait and see" what impact the Georgia High School Association's new NIL rules will have in the future.
Smart, speaking during his weekly press conference, answered a question about advice he would give parents of high school players seeking a NIL deal.
"I honestly don't know what I would tell them. I mean, it's all over the place," he said. "What you see your son's net worth may not be what Delta, Coke, Kodak, or UPS sees your son's net worth."
Smart also cautioned parents to "be careful" with what they believe and hear.
"So you have to be careful what you believe and what you hear because I don't honestly know what the impact will be. When you go to those local communities and say, what are they willing to do with NIL when dollars are tight in a time in America when they may not want to spend money on a high school kid? Now, certainly, that's going to happen at some positions, no different than it's going to happen in college football at some positions, but the overall impact, I think we'll have to wait and see what it is."
GHSA executive director Robin Hines said last week that education about the new NIL by-laws is the biggest key for students and their parents.
"There could be some high-profile people that get some deals," Hines said. "So, the biggest thing I think about is education and ensuring everybody knows what they are getting into. So, we're working on a plan to help provide that for students and their families.
"What if somebody comes in and says, I want to represent you, and I'm only going to give you 30% of everything you make, and you just need to sign this 15-year contract with me. Well, that could be a problem. So, we need to educate people about how all that works, but the majority of something is going to be the local soda shop that has kids from the football team come down there to unveil the new flavor of Rocky Road ice cream or something. They're given 20 bucks to get people to come in and buy ice cream."
Under the new NIL rules, student-athletes will not be allowed to make money off their performance, meaning using game highlights, photos in school uniforms, or use of school facilities are not permitted. Student-athletes can only make money off their name, image and likeness.
"It's just recognizing that individuals own their name, image and likeness, as long as they don't infringe on the intellectual property of this organization, in the schools and school districts from where they come from," Hines said. "That means no pictures in uniform, or use of the name, no use of facility or game footage. As we move forward, I'm sure that there will be some people who will make some mistakes, and we'll be sympathetic to that. Let's correct those things and move on because it will be an ongoing educational process going forward."
