If the NCAA cannot establish consistent national NIL rules, Georgia coach Kirby Smart has a possible answer.
Smart made an appearance on the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday, saying he would support the Southeastern Conference creating its own governing structure if the powers that be can’t come up with a solution.
“I’ve said this for a long time to our president, I’ve been a huge advocate that if we can’t find rules that everybody plays by, then we should play on our own,” Smart said during SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida. “I’m not afraid of that. I’m not afraid to break away and say that our conference is strong enough to go out and play.”
Smart’s comments came after Georgia president Jere Morehead suggested the SEC may eventually need its own governance model following the collapse of federal legislation tied to NIL regulation and college athletics reform.
“If we don’t get federal intervention, in my opinion, we are going to have to do this conference by conference,” Morehead said on Finebaum. “We can’t allow the Wild West to continue any longer, so I’m prepared … to be ready to vote on creating an SEC mechanism and SEC rules if that’s what we have to do if Congress isn’t going to act as they should.”
Smart sees stability as one of the biggest concerns in the current college football landscape, especially as spending continues to rise across the sport.
“If we could actually function financially, it would make our programs more stable,” Smart said. “We could support things financially. I’m talking about all the sports and do our own rules — I’d be all for that.”
He also worries that the non-revenue sports programs could be in jeopardy.
“Our spending is rapidly becoming again my biggest concern for our sport because we’re going to ruin all the other sports,” Smart said.
The discussion centered around the failed SCORE Act in Congress, which aimed to create national NIL standards and provide legal protections for the NCAA. With no clear national solution in place, several SEC coaches and administrators voiced support this week for stronger conference-level leadership and enforcement.
Smart enters the 2026 season once again leading one of the nation’s top programs as Georgia continues its pursuit of another SEC and national championship.
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