Order allows Ga. schools to pay players for NIL
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Dan Murphy
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Dan Murphy
ESPN Staff Writer
- Covers the Big Ten
- Joined ESPN.com in 2014
- Graduate of the University of Notre Dame
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Mark Schlabach
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Mark Schlabach
ESPN Senior Writer
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
Schools in Georgia have legal cover to immediately begin paying their athletes directly, according to an executive order signed by the state’s governor Tuesday morning.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed an order that prohibits the NCAA or athletic conferences from punishing any university or college in Georgia for “offering compensation, or compensating an intercollegiate student-athlete for the use of such student-athlete’s NIL.”
NCAA rules currently prohibit schools from directly paying athletes for the rights to use their name, image and likeness. The association agreed to drop its restriction on schools paying for NIL deals as part of a pending antitrust settlement, but that agreement has not been finalized. If the settlement is approved in its current form, those new rules are expected to go into effect at the start of the next academic year. The order in Georgia is effective immediately.
The Georgia order is similar to a law passed in July by the Virginia Legislature, which gave schools in that state the protection to directly pay their athletes via NIL deals without facing NCAA penalties.
Athletic directors at Virginia and Virginia Tech declined to share any plans for paying athletes directly at the time the bill was signed and have not made any public announcements about taking advantage of the ability to pay players since the law went into effect July 1.
Sources told ESPN that neither Georgia nor Georgia Tech — the two power conference schools in the state — have plans to start paying their players immediately. Instead, the executive order gives them the option to pay players if other schools around the country start to do so.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to Governor Brian Kemp for his leadership today,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt said in a shared statement to ESPN on Tuesday. “In the absence of nationwide name, image and likeness regulation, this executive order helps our institutions with the necessary tools to fully support our student-athletes in their pursuit of NIL opportunities, remain competitive with our peers and secure the long-term success of our athletics programs.”
The NCAA did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Other states have considered legislation to help their schools facilitate payment to players. Missouri, for example, has a law that allows schools to direct money to a third party, which in turn pays athletes to appear in marketing material for the school.
The pending antitrust settlement, if approved, would also cap the amount of money that U.S. schools can give directly to athletes. The cap is expected to be slightly higher than $20 million in its first year and increase annually.
Under their current laws, schools in Virginia and Georgia could start paying athletes immediately without any limit on the amount of money they provide. If they do so, the NCAA will have to challenge the new executive order in court if it wants to stop them.
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.
Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.
Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.
Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.
That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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