That's not what pay for play is.

Pay for play is not about getting paid based on performance. It's about pay being tied to enrollment at a school.

UGA's players get paid more for higher performance because those who perform better are more famous, and fame drives advertising and endorsements that are the backbone of what NIL is supposed to be.

Starters get paid more because people know who they are and that means they have more NIL value.

They don't get a NIL deal in order to attend UGA. THAT is what pay to play is.

As for the numbers you put up, pretty much every player at UGA gets between 30-50 grand a year in NIL, even walk-ons. UGA walk-ons generally get enough NIL to cover room, board and tuition plus some extra. Effectively a NIL scholarship.

The numbers you put for Stockton and Vandagriff are "valuations", not actual NIL deal numbers. And Vandagriff's is his UK valuation, not at UGA. I wouldn't be shocked if either were making around 100 grand at UGA given they're QB's and that brings more name recognition.

UGA maintains their locker room by not having collectives that pay unproven HS recruits huge NIL deals to come to UGA. That creates scenarios where backups are raking in more money than starters which creates schisms in the locker room. At UGA, NIL deals are based on fame which is mostly becuase of performance. That keeps locker room issues from happening. I say "mostly" because there are some oddities. Tate Ratledge has a NIL deal with Barstool sports because of his mullett for example. Brock Vandagriff had one based on his impressive beard. But for the most part it's about who's made a name for themselves by playing football.

That is how NIL was intended to work. Fame from performance is supposed to drive getting NIL deals... not signing NIL deals driving players to sign at your school.

UGA is doing it the way the NCAA wants teams to do it. Tennessee is not.