Kirby Smart reveals how NIL era changed practices, impact of roster limits on depth

Amid parity across college football, thanks in large part to NIL and the transfer portal, Georgia coach Kirby Smart pointed to one aspect of game preparation that changed. Practice, he said, is different in the new era. Concerns about depth have led teams to practice less, Smart said Saturday. Though he didn’t know why there’s seemingly an uptick in injuries in the SEC, he made clear the ninth conference game isn’t to blame – at least, not yet, because teams haven’t played that extra game. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage However, Smart said practice habits have shifted in the NIL era, especially as talent disperses across the country. Roster limits also went into effect last year, and football is set at 105. Smart pointed to that move as another factor in deciding how physical teams are in practice. “I do think that there was a big decision made when they did what they did to the rosters, and we debated with a lot of higher-up people to come to the roster limitations we came to,” Smart said after Georgia’s win over Florida. Watch on Fubo (Try for Free) “It’s going to be interesting as this thing goes down the stretch because I think people’s depth is going to show up and people are going to make a choice on how you want to practice. Do you want to practice at all, or do you just want to try to save everybody?” As he looked back on Georgia’s 2021 and 2022 seasons, which ended with national titles, Smart sees a stark difference in physicality during the week. While he doesn’t think the players are much different than they were, he wondered if there’s been a mindset shift in the NIL era. “I don’t know that the players are any different,” Smart said. “I think about the teams we had in ‘21 and ‘22, how physical they were and how they practiced. We can’t even get close to that now. “I don’t know. Is it a different culture that guys don’t want to as much? I don’t know because they were definitely hungrier because there was motivation to make it. And with a lot of these guys, honestly, they make more than I made until I was 40. So it’s just a different day and age.” With Saturday’s win over Florida, Georgia improved to 7-1 on the year and sits tied with Kentucky atop the SEC standings. UGA will hit the road this week to visit Ole Miss in primetime on Saturday.