Kentucky's Mark Stoops takes aim at Georgia's NIL use in wake of loss: 'They bought some pretty good players'

Stoops ranks among the highest-paid coaches in college football

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops took aim at Georgia's name, image and likeness practices after a 51-13 shellacking at the hands of the No. 1 Bulldogs last Saturday. During his weekly radio show appearance on Monday, Stoops pointed to funding as the primary reason for the gap between the two programs. 

"I can promise you in Georgia, they bought some pretty good players," Stoops said. "You're allowed to these days and we could use some help, that's what they look like when you have 85 of them. I encourage anybody that's disgruntled to pony up some more." 

Georgia entered the matchup against Kentucky as a 14.5-point favorite but hit another level in one of its biggest wins of the season. Star tight end Brock Bowers posted 132 yards and a touchdown in the big win, while quarterback Carson Beck threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Kentucky mustered just 183 yards of total offense to Georgia's 608. 

The win was the 14th straight for Georgia over Kentucky dating back to a 34-27 win for Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 21, 2009. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Georgia coach Kirby Smart largely downplayed any type of beef between the two programs. 

"No reaction," Smart said. "I think Mark is trying to garner interest for money from his fan base for his collective, and we're all trying to do the same in terms of trying to get money for the collective. Mark and I talked about NIL pregame, and we talked about it in our meeting. I'm not biting on that." 

Of course, many were quick to point out that Stoops is aided by one of the friendliest contracts in college football. Stoops is scheduled to make $9 million in 2023, which ranks top 10 in college football, per Front Office Sports. However, that mark represents approximately 25% of Kentucky's football operating expenses. 

That said, Georgia stands as one of the true Tiffany Blue programs in college football in 2023. The Bulldogs rank top five in generated revenue nationally at just shy of $200 million during the 2021-22 school year. That mark has led to Georgia ranking No. 2 nationally in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. Kentucky ranks 31st. 

Stoops has a 71-60 record over his Kentucky tenure, including a wildly impressive 59-36 mark since 2016 as the Wildcats sit one win away from eight consecutive bowl trips. The mark matches the same number from the previous 27 years of Kentucky history combined.