With the pending final court approval for the proposed settlement in the House vs NCAA only days away, schools like Georgia are bracing for the impact the decision will have.

Under the proposed settlement, the plan will unlock more than $20 billion in direct compensation over the next 10 years. Schools will be able to share up to 22 percent of their annual revenue with players, with an initial per-school cap of $21 million for student-athlete compensation.

However, there are also a lot of unknowns, a fact about which Kirby Smart expressed great concern following practice Tuesday afternoon.

"We've talked about the House settlement. The biggest thing going on is you've got two dates you're operating off of. There's a portal date. There's a House settlement date,” Smart said. “There's also a lot of people doing, not illegal things. They're just manipulative money things to try to move this, move that so I can free up this … So, what's going to happen?”

Smart doesn’t believe it will be anything good.

“There's probably going to be a bubble or a spike. And then agents are trying to take advantage of that every minute they can. They want to get all they can for their client,” Smart said. “But at the end of the day, it may backfire because there's going to be a correction in the market at some point when this cap hits. If the cap is truly what the House settlement wants it to be, if there is truly a cap. If you just keep trying to front load and pay out people and what's going on in basketball now and football now, then what's going to happen when those people expect that same money the next year?”

At this point, Smart doesn’t believe anybody knows what will happen.

There’s also the matter of roster caps. For football, NCAA Division I teams have a hard cap of 105 players. Although all 105 players will be able to receive scholarships.

Currently, teams are allowed to carry 120 players. With 105, it’s going to limit the number of walk-ons programs like Georgia have historically relied on to prepare for the season.

“I'm not sure 100 percent we have to get to 105 by fall camp. As we understand it, it's going to be by the first game, which is a big difference,” Smart said. “We would be able to practice camp like we want to. I think everybody's got to take a big pause right now and say, take a deep breath, because of what's going on with basketball right now is crazy. We don't know everything that's going to come out on April 7th. It might be the settlement date, where we get a lot more information.”

Whatever the outcome, Smart said his recruiting philosophy will not change.

When recruiting players to Georgia, prospects who come with hands out will be shown the door. “What I do know is that we're going to continue to recruit people who love football, who are passionate about football, and that don't put money as the No. 1 answer,” Smart said. “I've never met a really good player where that's all they care about.”

Smart said it’s already become even crazier than what he dreamed it would be.

One of the more eye-opening schemes is one Smart has heard of Zoom sessions being organized by agents to “shop” players considering entering the portal.

“I mean, people are reaching out to have a Zoom call and present all the players they represent that are on teams, including our team. They want to invite people to the Zoom so they can watch and see who's going in the portal or shopping who's in the portal before the portal,” Smart said. "You want to get on the Zoom and look at all these players? I'm like, well, what if some of them are mine? I mean, it could be one of the most legendary moments in all of college sports with what's coming up on this ruling and how people are going to try to manipulate a cap when all we're trying to do is make for competitive balance."

Smart said other sports could be affected should schools decide the only way to pay athletes in one sport is to cut funding or eliminate some altogether.

"Like long term, when we have to cut sports and cut other things, are the kids going to be the winners of this? I don't know,” Smart said. “College sports has been around a long time and given many an opportunity. And by all means, I want these kids to make money. But what's going on right now is not good for anybody.”

Smart said players shopping themselves to the highest bidder aren’t helping themselves, either.

Although Smart said he’s never been asked by a recruit to “beat” another team’s offer, he believes some come on visits hoping to line their pockets with as much money as they can.

“Deep down inside, that might be in the back of their mind. And ultimately, that's the goal of everyone. It's human nature,” Smart said. “I think players have value, and they should be rewarded for that value. But at the expense of what? At the expense of us having three or four sports that can't do anything to support anything? Because they get the television revenue and because they raise it, should they get first dibs on all that, and let's not have other sports? I don't think that's right. There’s a balance to be had.”

Smart said he will not be getting into any bidding wars for players focused on money and not the game.

“If they come in and say that, then I'm going to listen to them and talk to them, but I'm scratching them off the list. I'm over that because if that's all that matters, you need to send out a bid like they do for jobs and say, supplement your bid, let me take visits, and I'm going to go to the bid and go to the highest bidder,” Smart said. “I really believe that relationships matter, and if relationships don't matter, then I'm probably not going to have a kid that wants to play hard for Georgia. So, relationships matter. Work ethic matters. Like, do you want to be great? Do you have fire, passion, and energy? I'll pay for that. But I'll pay a premium for fire, passion, and energy because in the market we're in, there's a lack of that.”