GA Colleges Can Directly Pay Student-Athletes For NIL Deals, Kemp Says

GEORGIA — Colleges and universities in Georgia can now directly pay their student-athletes based on their name, image and likeness (NIL) as permitted by an order Gov. Brian Kemp signed Tuesday.

This is at least until the National Collegiate Athletic Association and some athletic conferences have agreed upon a settlement, Kemp said. If a settlement is approved, he said it would continue to allow postsecondary institutions to give direct compensation to student-athletes for use of NIL.

The impending settlement is expected to be finalized by the 2025-26 school year, Sports Illustrated reported.

Kemp said state funding may not be utilized for compensation.

"Until the settlement is approved and effective, legislative and executive actions across the country create a patchwork of inconsistent rules regulating intercollegiate athletics," Kemp said in the order. "Student-athletes in the State of Georgia should compete on a level playing field and not forego compensation available to student-athletes in other states while the settlement is pending."

Under Kemp's order, the NCAA and any other organization cannot adversely take action against postsecondary institutions for providing compensation for NIL.

Georgia joined Virginia, which Sports Illustrated said initiated a similar policy for its college athletes.

The NCAA has made it possible for student-athletes to be paid for using their social media accounts for brand or company endorsement. These students can also be paid for hosting camps or clinics and appearing in commercials for products or companies, and in addition, they can enter sponsorship deals.

On Aug. 1, the NCAA enacted policies that established a process for collecting disclosures of NIL activities, created a registry of agents and other professionals that offer NIL services and allowed educational materials to be provided to student-athletes and anyone who assists them in their NIL deals.

Two Georgia athletes with high NIL valuations include University of Georgia's redshirt senior Carson Beck - a quarterback who earned a $1.9 million valuation as of Wednesday - and Suwanee's Travis Hunter - a quarterback at the University of Colorado who brought in a $3.1 million NIL valuation, according to data from sports media outlet On3.

Hunter was the third highest-paid NIL athlete, while Florida's Beck was the ninth highest-paid athlete, On3 reported.

See the full list of the nation's NIL athletes via On3.