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Lane Kiffin trolls Kirby Smart over NIL, recruiting during SEC spring meetings

Danby:Daniel Hager•05/28/25•

DanielHagerOn3

Lane-Kiffin-trolls-Kirby Smart-over-NIL-recruiting-during-SEC-spring-meetings
Jan 2, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on against the Duke Blue Devils in the fourth quarter during the Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA;Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts after defeating the Texas Longhorns in overtime in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

During an interview with YouTuber Bordeaux at an EA Sports College Football 26 media opportunity, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin threw a jab at Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

When asked about winning the NIL/recruiting battle, Kiffin responded by trolling the two-time National Championship winning coach.

“Yeah, money,” Kiffin responded when asked about getting players. “NIL, like that Georgia coach over there. He just outpays everybody.”

In his first season as head coach at the University of Georgia, Kirby Smart and his staff brought in the No. 11 ranked recruiting class in the country. Since then, the Bulldogs have brought in a top-three recruiting class in every single cycle. They’ve had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2018, 2020 and 2024, the No. 2 class in 2019, 2023 and 2025, and the No. 3 class in 2017, 2021 and 2022.

According to On3’s college Football NIL Valuations, seven different Georgia football players are making at least $500k in NIL this upcoming season. The entire list is below:

Since Kiffin became head coach at Ole Miss in 2020, the two high-profile coaches are tied at a game in each in head-to-head matchups. Georgia demolished the Rebels 52-17 in the first meeting on November 11, 2023, but Ole Miss got its revenge on November 9, 2024 with a convincing 28-10 win.

Georgia will open the 2025 season on August 30 against Marshall. Smart’s Bulldogs will come out with an attitude this season, as they fell to Notre Dame 23-10 in last season’s College Football Quarterfinals (Sugar Bowl).

The 2024 season was also a bit of a disappointing one for Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels, as losses to unranked Kentucky and Florida kept them out of the College Football Playoff. They will open the 2025 season on August 30 against Georgia State.

Although Kiffin’s jab at Smart was likely a friendly one, the series between the two while at their current schools is tied at one game apiece. That however will not be the case when Georgia and Ole Miss meet in Athens on October 18. That will likely be an integral result in determining the two teams that will face off in December’s SEC Championship game.