Georgia football program now has an even bigger superpower on the recruiting trail

Governor Brian Kemp may be looking out for all student-athletes in the State of Georgia, but we all know what team he roots for on fall Saturdays. Kemp grew up locally in Athens and attended the precursor to Clarke Central before graduating from the University of Georgia. Kemp has his critics for sure, but he is always looking out for the best interest of Georgians in trying to make more money.

In the wonderful world of NIL, schools can use collectives and whatnot to facilitate the payment to players for the names, images and likenesses. Some schools are more ahead of the curve on it than others, while others are getting left in the dust. It is not an arms race, if you will, but Georgia has been more aggressive and proactive in this department than some other college athletic contemporaries.

What Governor Kemp essentially signed into law in Georgia is the NCAA is prohibited from messing with Georgia state schools from facilitating the action or compensation student-athletes for their names, images and likenesses. Not only does this help Georgia, but it helps the four other FBS programs in-state in Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State as well.

This move helps every program on the recruiting trail, but it helps the most well-run the most by far.

Let's discuss the ramifications of such implemented legislation and what this means going forward.

Georgia has the power of the State to tell the NCAA to forever kick rocks

As a native Georgian, an Atlanta resident and a University of Georgia alum, I cannot begin to tell you how huge this is for college athletics in The Peach State. Of the five FBS programs in-state, two are in Atlanta (Georgia State and Georgia Tech), one is in the suburbs (Kennesaw State), one is in the exurbs, if you will (Georgia), and the other is in Statesboro (Georgia Southern). Atlanta is a thriving metropolis.

Not only are the booming businesses to be had in the state capital of Georgia, but more and more people are choosing to live in the surrounding area. Since high school football is a huge part of the region's culture, more and more elite players will have Georgia roots. Thus, more and more great high school players are going to want to stay in-state, especially if they have financial incentives to do so.

One of the best things Georgia ever did was use the state lottery to help fund the Hope Scholarship. In essence, if you have a 3.0 GPA out of high school, your in-state tuition is greatly reduced. Should you keep that mark, or get to that mark at a Georgia state school, the same rules apply. This has helped keep some of the smartest minds in-state for decades, many of whom choose to live here.

What I am getting at is by Governor Kemp essentially telling the NCAA that it can forever kick rocks when it comes to enforcing NIL, every public university in-state has the ability to level up athletically. Even though this helps everyone, it helps the Georgia Bulldogs the most because they are on top of the college football world. This is the ace up their sleeve when recruiting against their regional rivals.

A rising tide lifts all boats, but Georgia is the one program that will absolutely make the most of this.