Ohio State AD Gene Smith Visits Capital Hill and States "We Could Have Won A National Championship Last Year"

In an era of college football filled with NIL controversy and "what ifs," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith visited Capital Hill recently to testify over NIL. He mentioned the CFP Semifinal game against Georgia last season and how they "could have won a national championship" to help prove his point.

The world of college football in 2023 has been infested with allegations, controversy, and requests for change since the NCAA gave the people what they wanted in the bill to allow athletes to earn sponsorships and money through Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL. Through all of this controversy, Ohio State AD Gene Smith  recently took a trip to Capital Hill to testify over the issues of NIL and the need for oversight, bringing up his school's CFP Semifinal game against Georgia last season to prove his point stating, "We  could have won a national championship last year if we would have let Marvin Harrison play." 

Ohio State AD Gene Smith: "We could have won a national championship last year if we would have let Marvin Harrison play. But he had a bad hit. That is oversight."

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 20, 2023

Smith is one of the most experienced athletic directors in collegiate athletics, taking over as Ohio State's AD when he was 29 years old. He stated how he "never wanted to come to the federal government to ask for help," but that is what he, Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, and Alabama HC Nick Saban have all done. According to FootballScoop.com, Smith brought the Buckeys' collective viewpoint for this testimony before the House Committee on Small Business. 

Smith first exemplified how NIL has been a positive for collegiate athletes, stating, "NIL is a great learning tool that allows student-athletes to learn a host of important entrepreneurial skills." But then Smith moved on to address the need for a uniform, federal law that helps regulate the use of NIL activities and who gets involved is trustworthy. 

"Many states have created legislation to support their schools’ NIL activities, but there’s no uniformity to these state laws. As you all know, we do not have a federal law for NIL. However. protections need to be put in place. Like my colleague, I believe that Congress needs to enact NIL legislation as soon as possible.”

- Statement taken from FootballScopp

Smith's statement over the Ohio State vs. Georgia's game in the Chic-Fil-A Peach Bowl for the CFP Semifinal last season and how he mentioned "that is oversight" only proves his point further about the use of regulation and how it has created a positive impact on the overall aspect of the game despite the result of it. Smith wasn't saying he thinks Ohio State would be the National Champions if Marbin Harrison weren't taken out by the "big hit," as Smith noted.