Georgia football coach Kirby Smart joked Tuesday about the extensive financial support the Oregon Ducks receive from Phil Knight and Nike on the recruiting trail.
“I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting Phil Knight and his wonderful wife, Penny,” Smart said. “I wish I could get some of that NIL money that he’s sharing with Dan Lanning, but that’s another note.”
The comments raised eyebrows after unsubstantiated rumors of an “unlimited” NIL budget provided to the Ducks by Knight, but in the end Smart’s words appeared to be just playful jabs from one of college football’s top coaches toward his former defensive coordinator.
It is unclear just how much Knight and Nike have contributed to Oregon’s recruiting efforts in terms of NIL. While the number is believed to be in the millions, there is no publicly available database tracking spending.
Smart’s comments on Oregon and Nike came at SEC media days in Dallas, where he also spoke at length about the Bulldogs’ own work with the globally recognized apparel brand. Nike is one of Georgia’s sponsors.
“Dan Lanning having the treasure chest to open up and get whatever he wants?” Smart later joked when asked a follow-up question about his NIL comments.
While the Bulldogs remain the class of college football and are at or near the top of every major recruiting ranking, the Ducks are hot on their heels: Oregon has the No. 4 rated 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports, one spot behind Georgia. The Ducks have 16 players in their 2025 class so far, with multiple five-star prospects potentially committing in the coming weeks.
-- Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference for The Oregonian and co-hosts the Soccer Made in Portland and Ducks Confidential podcasts. He can be reached at rclarke@oregonian.com or @RyanTClarke.
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