DESTIN, Fla. – For two Georgia student-athletes, the opportunity to represent their peers at this week’s SEC Spring Meetings is one they’ll never forget.

Wide receiver Kearis Jackson and women’s basketball player Mikayla Coombs are among six student-athletes from across the conference who were invited by the league to attend the various meetings and offer their opinions on the major topics being discussed at this year’s event.

Among the topics were student-athlete mental health, NIL (name, image, and likeness) and the NCAA transfer portal.

“We got here on Monday and yesterday met with the faculty athletic directors, and the senior women’s administrators,” Coombs said. “Today, we had some meetings with the ADs involved, too. Being able to speak on behalf of student-athletes is really cool. We’ve been able to speak on critical issues such as mental health, speak on their behalf, and just try to get everything better.”

Jackson agreed.

“Being able to sit in different meetings, giving my opinion, has really been eye-opening, just listening to the conversations that go on with student-athletes, trying to make the games better, and finding different techniques and strategies along with being able to get immediate feedback has made this a memorable experience.”

On the subject of NIL, both Jackson and Coombs echoed many of the concerns coaches and administrators have expressed so far in the meetings being held at the Sandestin Beach Hilton.

Both agree that there should be some sort of uniform parameters in place. They also believe that some recruits and student-athletes are looking at NIL as a way to get rich or play one school against the other when selecting a college - and they're thinking about it all wrong.

“Most schools have their students set to make this amount of money, but at Georgia, we really don’t look at it like that. We look at it like, we’re here to perform and we’re here to win championships,” Jackson said. "NIL is going to take care of itself if you perform on the field. You may have a couple of NIL opportunities, but if you’re not performing well, your focus should not be NIL.

"If you are performing well, you shouldn’t be worried about getting NIL. Whatever happens, just let it play its course. Don’t get caught up in the money. I’ve been here four years; I’ve never been receiving money in any type of way. At the end of the day, we’re here to play ball.”

Coombs said she and other members of the Lady Bulldogs basketball team haven’t focused on NIL, either.

However, Coombs is interested to see what ultimately unfolds, particularly as it pertains to recruiting.

“Now it’s a recruiting pitch, and kids are looking to see what they can get out of this school and that school,” Coombs said. “But like Kearis, we are also focused on our seasons. If somebody approaches us due to our performance, we would do it quick and just go back. We never talked about it in practice, team meetings, or anything. It was strictly off the court for us.”

Jackson believes student-athletes need to be more concerned about their respective brand.

The former Peach County standout recently had a deal with Bojangles where he was “able to make biscuits.” While the opportunity did not make him rich, Jackson said it enriched his life in other ways.

Unfortunately, he knows others aren’t looking at similar opportunities the same way.

“Some people are using it (NIL) and some people may be abusing it. For the most part, people I’ve hung around and been around, they are using it the correct way, trying to brand themselves,” Jackson said. “If I’m doing NIL, I’m trying to do something that’s going to brand myself, because every opportunity might not be the best one for my brand.”

Jackson also has his opinions on the NCAA transfer portal and the deadlines student-athletes have for placing their name into it.

Currently, the deadline is Feb. 1 for football players wishing to transfer intraconference and May 1 for student-athletes looking to transfer out of the conference.

The consensus among officials in Destin is to keep the deadlines as is.

Jackson has no problem with that.

“Right now, we’re in a different time where student-athletes can get paid, and with transfers, you can transfer out and be immediately eligible. It’s just how the world works. It’s how the game is shaping up.

"But when you commit to a school, I feel you should stay committed,” he said. “You signed that paper for a reason, so no matter how tough the road may get, you may not be getting enough playing time or something like that, but if you wait your turn, you never know what might happen."

That's a lesson Jackson said two of his former teammates have unfortunately learned.

"I have a couple of friends who transferred out just last year, and now wish they never did, just because of the year we had winning the national championship," he said. "That’s the regret some guys have—leaving the institution they signed with as a recruit can sometimes hinder those opportunities.”