There are a lot of reasons as to why five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell decided to commit to Miami on Tuesday, but one of the most obvious is the NIL deal offered to him. Cantwell has refused to admit NIL is the reason he chose the Hurricanes, but after a last second increase of about $500,000 it’s impossible to think that didn’t impact things.
In total, Cantwell will make $5 million at Miami during his first two seasons, which in reality isn’t that far off from what Georgia offered him. UGA reportedly offered Cantwell a little under $2 million per year, so some could argue what Kirby Smart should have increased his offer to try and compete with the Hurricanes.
But a detail shared by insider Graham Coffey with Dawgs Central shows how insane this offer for Cantwell truly is.
Georgia should never pay one player this much
According to Coffey, Cantwell’s requested NIL about was about four times the amount other top recruits make at Georgia during their first season. Does Cantwell deserve to be one of the highest paid players at Georgia had he chosen the Bulldogs? Absolutely he does, that’s how special of a talent he is. But he by no means deserves to make that much more than the other elite players at Georgia.
So this fact makes missing on Cantwell not hurt as much. This is especially true because of recent comments from Smart about how he wants players at Georgia who only care about winning and not put much focus on NIL. And while Cantwell surely does care about winning, his focus on money might be too much for Smart’s liking.
Now that Cantwell chose Miami, Georgia can devote their resources to other players. And knowing that UGA had about $2 million tied up with Cantwell, they now can use this money to improve their standing with many other elite recruits. .
