Governor Kemp Passes Name, Image, and Likeness Bill
College football recruiting is about to change for the better. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp passed the NIL Bill Wednesday morning that will allow college athletes in the state to profit off their name.
There has been an ongoing debate for years whether or not college athletes should be able to profit off their talents while in school. There now appears to be a resolution, as more and more states are passing the bill.
Kemp announced he would sign the bill in a ceremony at the University of Georgia on Thursday. It is said to take effect starting July 1, 2021.
This bill will change the landscape of college recruiting for the foreseeable future. It could be the deciding factor in some decisions by recruits, and schools will have to start investing resources into their players' brands.
Georgia’s program under head coach Kirby Smart hasn’t been shy about their intentions either. Over the last year, players have received graphic edits with their own personally designed logos on them.
We saw some examples of it this spring. UCF allowed players to put their social media handles on the back of their jerseys during their spring game. Schools are handing out edits advertising the social media accounts of recruits.
Expect to see new schools at the top of the recruiting rankings every year. USC, Miami, Texas and other schools haven’t had steady success in recruiting as of late, but that’s subject to change soon.
Obviously the elite programs like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson will be able to advertise their players just as well as other schools, with the advantages of having consistent success on Saturdays.
However, there will be several new faces in the game because the best places to market yourself currently are California, Texas and the Southeast.
We don't know what this will look like yet. Will we see quarterback JT Daniels in a Doritos commercial? Would quarterback Trevor Lawrence have gotten a shoe deal?
EA Sports announced in December that in a few years time they will be continuing their college football video game series.
The game was disbanded because the NIL bill was not in place, but more and more states are passing the bill. Because of this, the game was allowed to start back up, and it is possible we could see a player star in commercials and photo shoots as the cover athlete.
We are entering a time in college football where player mobility is at an all-time high, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. And now, there’s set to be millions of dollars poured into the advertising of athletes.
Buckle up, folks.
