Can we stay competitive in the NIL era?

[RonJohn]

i definitely appreciate the merit of the argument and it SHOULD be a bigger priority but in todays era of college football it’s getting harder and harder to sell to the top end of athletes :/

I consider that a a big issue with people involved in NCAA football, not as something that everyone should try to copy. I have seen high school football players who had family members tell them that they didn't have to worry about grades because they were going to make big money in the NFL. Some didn't even end up getting D1 scholarship offers. That same kind of thinking seems to permeate NCAA football recruiting now. IMO it is fine to have the NFL as a goal, but having major college football programs push the same trash that the shady uncles push to high school kids is ridiculous. Colleges and college sports programs should strive to develop well rounded young people. Pushing the only NFL or bust garbage is treating the players like cattle.

If the numbers are correct on sbnation, only about 50% of five star recruits get drafted. Let that sink in. Only half of the top of the top get drafted. Only 2% overall play professionally.

In addition to that, not all NFL players make the "big" money. The average time in the league is about 3 years. After paying a management company and other fees, 3 years at the league minimum is not enough to live on for the rest of your life. (unless you are extremely frugal) Brandon Marshall did a podcast where he discussed what he called a 'Black Tax'. He said that black Americans who succeed are expected to help out the extended family. Three years at minimum salary would be approximately $2.3 million. Sounds like a lot. However take out taxes and management fees and it is more like $1.3. Take out multiple "gifts" to extended family members and you might be down to $900k. Take out the new Lambo, and you might be down to $630k. Take out maintenance on the car, trips, jewelry, etc. and you are now broke and have to sell the Lambo. For a lot more NFL players than people realize, the NFL "dream" actually turns into three years of living high and then absolutely nothing to show for it.

I am not saying that friends, family, high school coaches, and college coaches should tamper dreams and cause people to not try to reach the NFL. However: High school kids should not be given special academic treatment if they are good players. (Not because of jealousy about it, but because it is damaging to them) College athletic programs should stress financial educations, especially in places where a large number of the players do make the NFL. College recruiters and coaches should stress being well rounded and having multiple contingencies. (Not because I think GT would have an advantage, but because if the coaches actually care about the young men that is what they would do.)

 

[Vanillalite]

One reality is only 11 guys per team get on the field at a time. Plus only so many guys are “starters”. To look at the UGA situation another way they had guys leave cause they wanted to play.

The lesser P5 NIL schools might luck out purely based on guys wanting playing time. That’s like one saving grace GT has. If you want to be a QB starter and Bama, Auburn, Clemson, FL, insert school around GT here already has 2 top guys you might look at Kentucky, Vandy, GT, Wake, USCe instead.

 

[RamblinRed]

One reality is only 11 guys per team get on the field at a time. Plus only so many guys are “starters”. To look at the UGA situation another way they had guys leave cause they wanted to play.

The lesser P5 NIL schools might luck out purely based on guys wanting playing time. That’s like one saving grace GT has. If you want to be a QB starter and Bama, Auburn, Clemson, FL, insert school around GT here already has 2 top guys you might look at Kentucky, Vandy, GT, Wake, USCe instead.

The issue with this is that some of these talents end up at another blue blood type that has more room at their position - not moving down to the GT, Vandy kind of level.
Generally the ones moving down to the GT level are ones that simply ended up not being that level of talent.

 

[Vanillalite]

So supposedly some 5 star QB out of Cali got an 8 million dollar NIL deal to go to Tenn right up the road from GT.

At some point you have to wonder if this is truly sustainable.

 

[ChicagobasedJacket]

So supposedly some 5 star QB out of Cali got an 8 million dollar NIL deal to go to Tenn right up the road from GT.

At some point you have to wonder if this is truly sustainable.

What’s even crazier is the money is guaranteed. I am happy for the kid and his family but it’s not looking good for most of the P5 when it comes to talent acquisition.

 

[4shotB]

At some point you have to wonder if this is truly sustainable.

and, if it is, how many people will care outside of the 10-20 schools who choose to participate? If I am going to watch professional football, the NFL does a much better job of it than the NCAA.

 

[Richard7125]

What’s even crazier is the money is guaranteed. I am happy for the kid and his family but it’s not looking good for most of the P5 when it comes to talent acquisition.

I would be willing to bet if this 5 star QB stinks he won’t see all of that $8 million.

 

[g0lftime]

The NCAA NIL rule is supposed to not allow offering a recruit any $ deals to come to a specific school. This would seem to be a violation but does the NCAA enforce anything any more.

 

[forensicbuzz]

The NCAA NIL rule is supposed to not allow offering a recruit any $ deals to come to a specific school. This would seem to be a violation but does the NCAA enforce anything any more.

In addition, it's supposed to be commensurate with the service provided (non-athletic performance). The problem is that no one is guarding the hen house and the foxes are in the yard.

 

[GTpdm]

The NCAA NIL rule is supposed to not allow offering a recruit any $ deals to come to a specific school. This would seem to be a violation but does the NCAA enforce anything any more.

I’m sure the (phony college sports governing body) will find some minor program to punish for the NIL excesses of all the major programs’ bag men.

 

[CuseJacket]

Inducement concerns fuel fears for coaches, administrators amid $8 million name, image and likeness deal

A reported $8 million NIL contract sounds like an inducement, but can it even be regulated?

www.cbssports.com

"If there is ever a time for the NCAA to go after a recruiting inducement, this would be the one," said Mit Winter, a high-profile collegiate sports attorney based in Kansas City, Missouri.

The I-word, inducement, has been the biggest concern of college coaches and administrators everywhere since the NIL era started last July 1. Since then, what is and isn't an inducement -- defined as a cash offer to play at a school -- has been the main talking point in the NIL space.

Inducements are hard to delineate. What used to be under-the-table illicit payments are now, well, above the table and almost completely allowed. Stymied by the courts and its own inaction, the NCAA last summer issued an interim one-page NIL policy that was the equivalent of a toothpick house in the face of a hurricane.

What skeptics are finding hard to believe is that the $8 million contract, the collective and the school where the five-star prospect eventually lands are three distinct entities.

"Do you really believe that XYZ collective -- at a particular institution that is choosing to pay dollars to a particular student-athlete -- they're not doing that in an informed way [for] somebody the coaches told them they wanted to recruit?" a former Power Five AD told CBS Sports. "It's almost comical to think that wouldn't be a reality."

 

[CEB]

I don’t think it’s sustainable and I don’t think anyone expects it to be. What is happening right now is a lot of schools / alumni / formed entities are seizing the opportunity to buy a championship nucleus. A combination of busts, unintended consequences and regulations will come down over the next couple of years to quell this NIL crazy, but a lot of people are buying in big now before the dust settles. When it’s all over, one or two schools are going to be “big winners” and they probably won’t look terribly different from the ones that were the big winners before the NIL game started.

 

[SteamWhistle]

Y’all don’t realize most of these company NIL deals are based way more on Social Media out reach then players ability. They see followers that equals and audience for their product. For Tech to compete we have to have boosters step up period, we aren’t signing 5 stars with huge twitter followers that can strike deals.

 

[MidtownJacket]

Agree with @CEB it’s just hard for me to believe this is the new normal, as opposed to a massive over correction waiting to swing back. There may be a few years where this keeps up but realistically the NFL can’t even scout the top NCAA players consistently enough to have a world class difference among most teams. Projecting high school kids into college football especially is a high probability of failure exercise. Once donors start seeing their $MM athlete not playing because they can’t keep their spot their is going to be discontent among those that paid the bills - or a coach rides with the expensive shiny object player to the detriment of the team/season and the locker room revolts.


Many, MANY, coaches talk about staying at the NCAA level because as a pro coach you know your stars pulled outrank you. You’re not benching the franchise players. That’s a headache NCAA staffs aren’t going to want long term. Throw in keeping kids academically eligible and it’s an ever increasing challenge.

I just don’t think College Athletics is built to sustain this.

 

[MidtownJacket]

Y’all don’t realize most of these company NIL deals are based way more on Social Media out reach then players ability. They see followers that equals and audience for their product. For Tech to compete we have to have boosters step up period, we aren’t signing 5 stars with huge twitter followers that can strike deals.

But the followers are often related to the buzz that players creates by outsized athletic talent. It’s like record labels giving TikTok artists a contract for a single. They may not be the most capable but they appear to be poised for success which is what drives people to follow them.

 

[RonJohn]

But the followers are often related to the buzz that players creates by outsized athletic talent. It’s like record labels giving TikTok artists a contract for a single. They may not be the most capable but they appear to be poised for success which is what drives people to follow them.

I think there are several issues being intertwined; Athletes benefitting from themselves, and schools paying athletes to come play for them. Olivia Dunne had a very large following before enrolling at LSU. Why should college athletics prevent her from capitalizing on that following that she created? OTOH a group of boosters signing a kid to a multi-million dollar contract for some future undefined services in order to get him to go to a certain school is at the other extreme.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Y’all don’t realize most of these company NIL deals are based way more on Social Media out reach then players ability. They see followers that equals and audience for their product. For Tech to compete we have to have boosters step up period, we aren’t signing 5 stars with huge twitter followers that can strike deals.

That's what it's supposed to be, but it's not yet.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Agree with @CEB it’s just hard for me to believe this is the new normal, as opposed to a massive over correction waiting to swing back. There may be a few years where this keeps up but realistically the NFL can’t even scout the top NCAA players consistently enough to have a world class difference among most teams. Projecting high school kids into college football especially is a high probability of failure exercise. Once donors start seeing their $MM athlete not playing because they can’t keep their spot their is going to be discontent among those that paid the bills - or a coach rides with the expensive shiny object player to the detriment of the team/season and the locker room revolts.


Many, MANY, coaches talk about staying at the NCAA level because as a pro coach you know your stars pulled outrank you. You’re not benching the franchise players. That’s a headache NCAA staffs aren’t going to want long term. Throw in keeping kids academically eligible and it’s an ever increasing challenge.

I just don’t think College Athletics is built to sustain this.

If I got an $8MM deal to play college football, I'm not sure I'd ever come back from the first injury I sustained. Life with football injuries is tough once you stop playing. With a free education and that kind of seed money, there's no reason to abuse your body. Let's face it, once you get out of high school, athletics is a job as well as a passion. Many lose that passion and start to hate their sport.

 

[RamblinRed]

That's what it's supposed to be, but it's not yet.

Bingo. It is not being used the way it was supposed to be used (not that we should be surprised by that).

Specifically NIL is not supposed to be used for 'inducement to enroll at a school', but that is exactly how it is now being used through the collectives that are springing up.
Also, it is supposed to be completely separate from the school (ie. no pay to play), but does anyone really believe these collectives are operating without input from the coaching staffs at their schools on who they want to target in re recruiting.

I'd be willing to bet there is some clause in that contract that will give the collective an out if the player gets injured or doesn't perform - despite that once again running afoul of the few rules for the NIL.

 

[SteamWhistle]

My Point is, listening to some podcast and players talking, 95% of the starters at Nebraska are making 6 figures because of their boosters. Michigans RB is over 6 Figures. Tech might sign 1 player a year with enough clout to bring in that kind of money on their own from outside sources. The only way we can keep up is if the rich Tech fans start emptying their pockets. Which means we can’t keep up, and something that was once going to be an advantage for smaller schools will become a detriment, it all comes back to Fans and Money that decides who moves the needle in College Football.