Ja’Quinden Jackson to portal

[Anfernee]

Is what I’m seeing. I hope another portal is portaling in.

[NarfUte]

Thats the smoke. Stupid NIL

[Anfernee]

ONLYU YOU SEND YOUR FRIENDS HOME RIGHT NOW AND GET TO THE BOARD

[Larry B]

This would make no sense to me. He seemingly loves it here, fans love him, and he’s the starter on a team that loves to run the ball. Either he’s getting a MASSIVE NIL deal that Utah can’t even compete with, or we’re getting another RB that would potentially take his job.

[NarfUte]

It’d be a real kick in the nards when he enters after Raleek Brown committed to ASU.

[The Miami Ute]

That’s just bizarre. Why would someone throw a massive NIL deal at someone who’s been injured for large parts of the season and had half the rushing yards as Jayden Daniels? It doesn’t make any sense. You’d think that he’d be happy Utah didn’t bring anyone in to challenge him for his starting spot. Oh well, if true, good luck to him but not all change is progress.

[EagleMountainUte]

He had the most impact on the offense. When he wasn’t in the Utah offense could not go anywhere. Slide in the mud terrible.

Utah is losing a lot with him leaving.

[The Miami Ute]

Fully understand but your best ability is availability. Is he suddenly going to get more healthy playing the same position for another team?

[EagleMountainUte]

Maybe it isn’t just about the money. JQJ was the most visibly frustrated on the field this season. Vele had a few moments of drag after being wide open and never looked at.

I also didn’t like the play calling with JJ in the game. It was predictable with personal changes.

[Utah#1]

I think its NIL deal. Utah is losing more than they are getting. Wish him the BEST! All I know is the portal and NIL is/has destroyed college football. The B1G, the SEC, and the media have destroyed college football. It will destroy them too, eventually.

[EagleMountainUte]

NIL is good for players overall. Also that was a court ruling. I don’t see how it is the conferences you mentioned fault.

I love how we are fine with colleges behaviors. As if they are beyond reproach for what they have done for years.

Screw the ncaa and anyone defending the old ways of doing things.

[The Miami Ute]

No doubt that athletes have been, in a certain sense, financially exploited over the years. However, not to argue with you, but athletes have also received preferential treatment in all things related to an university since the beginning of college athletics. Yeah, the stars have been “exploited” but what about the 3rd/4th string on scholarship that never sees the field, ever? I mean, even before NIL, athletes received hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits when you total free tuition, free room and board, free tutoring assistance, all of the facilities that are available explicitly just for athletes, etc…I believe that NIL is a more financially equitable system but it’s been a long time, maybe never, that athletes had to face the same issues as a regular student.

[Central Coast Ute]

I would have loved to get a free ride to the U for no other reason than to play football. I can’t agree with people who say they received nothing. Now they’re professional athletes. If a player leaves my favorite team because he’s unhappy, I don’t feel the need to wish them well in their career. Derek Fisher, Deron Williams, didn’t care if they had a good career after Leaving the Jazz. Won’t care about professional Utes either.

[The Miami Ute]

Utah is a Top 35 team in NIL and athletic revenue, so it has to be a collective that has the funds to provide Jackson with a significant improvement over what he’s already receiving here. But his performance doesn’t dictate him getting a massive NIL deal, unless some team is aligned with the Saudi sovereign investment fund and has money to burn.

[RustyShackleford]

Wish him nothing. Why are we wishing all these players that are abandoning us well. I don’t wish anything bad to happen to him but if you transfer for anything but playing time you’re done to me.

[DataUte]

I wish all these KIDS well as people. I don’t see things working out for many or being better, but they make a choice in the current environment. That’s what I dislike, the NIL amd transfer rules

[RustyShackleford]

Exactly, hope he has a good life but I’m not going to cheer him on for leaving

[The Miami Ute]

For services rendered. It’s the right thing to do in my view.

[RustyShackleford]

This isn’t a business transaction though. Fans put in emotional and physical energy into these players. When they leave like this I look at it is a betrayal. Right or wrong in order for me to really care about the team I need to feel invested in the players.

[The Miami Ute]

The genie is out of the bottle. Things will only change if fans start losing interest and the revenue dries up. If fans were organized, in any sport, they could dictate terms because nothing happens without us.

[Ghost of the HEB]

He has a sizable NIL offer elsewhere. Basically we either match or exceed it or he’s gone. Currently seems more likely that he leaves, but he could also just be leveraging other offers to get more $ without leaving. Just a lot of
bags out there to be had.

On another note, NJ wasn’t the only one who had strong feelings about the way QB situation was handled.

[22Ute22]

Can you explain more? Other players thought NJ should have been given a full week of reps or what? Or did they simply view NJ as the best QB available, despite not much evidence to show that he was.

[Yergensen]

Ghost, what more can you share about the QB situation? Has it caused team dissension and has the team moved on from it?

[highlandute7]

I’ll believe it when I see it. Seems totally crazy.

[DataUte]

Other players made sense to me. Nate, Bryson. Mikey was a little disappointing since he had a nice FR season. This one ticks me off. NIL? I hope the court case fails and 2nd transfers still have to sit out a year. Unless someone is giving him another chance of qb, this is dumb. I hope the best for each of these kids, but just doesn’t seem like it will pan out vs being RB1 or RB1b with Bernard.

We need to get another RB or 2 now from the portal. But they have to learn our system.

[BD]

Where you hearing this from? Don’t need to name sources. Just generally. If you don’t mind.

[The Miami Ute]

I checked his Twitter and there’s nothing there about entering the portal.

[Larry B]

He also interviewed with Bill Riley last week and seemed excited about the bowl game and for next year. Very strange if he’s transferring.

[The Miami Ute]

If you look at the Utes’ official advertisement for the Las Vegas Bowl, who’s the featured player? It’s Jackson! Boy, that would be some egg to wipe off the face if, all of a sudden, he entered the portal and left Utah high and dry.

[BD]

Never mind. It’s out there on X now. Plenty of chatter going on about it.

[Utesbyfive]

I feel like we’re f**ked.

[Tednab]

If he gets healthy ; he’s a big loss, but not irreplaceable. Besides we’re not the only program losing players. Read somewhere that Georgia was losing like a dozen or so 4 and 5 star kids .. wonder how much of this is just testing the waters and seeing what your value is , can’t argue with that .. think whit would encourage it as well

[The Miami Ute]

You mean irreplaceable?

[Tednab]

Yes, thank you , fixed it

[Onlyu]

Sorry I was at the basketball game.

Money…NIL has jumped the shark this year. They will rein it in eventually because this certainly wasn’t how it was intended and it can’t/won’t go on in this manner.

Now it’s about where your friends and connections are, what the booster is willing to pay, who’s working the back channels and who controls the neighborhoods…cause they’re all getting a piece. In many cases families want money and they’re gonna use the kid to make sure they get it…not saying that’s the case specifically with JJ but decisions have been made by families this cycle with their take in mind.

It’s frankly embarrassing because everything goes…zero guard rails in place and everyone is getting theirs.

I hate what it’s done to the game BUT fortunately we are well respected and have had plenty of relevant success the past 5 years so we’re firmly in the mix as a landing spot. I mean it could be a hell of a lot worse, just look 40 miles to the South!! Good news on the way…

[The Miami Ute]

OnlyU, how about this kid Ashton Jeanty from Boise State? Hard to believe that the Broncos are going to be able to keep him after the season he just had.

[Onlyu]

You have a bucket to attract and a bucket to retain…is he happy with their current offer?

[The Miami Ute]

I can’t even begin to imagine that with all of the players leaving Utah in the next month or so we don’t have more NIL money than Boise State to attract a guy like Jeanty. By the way, he’s playing on TV right now in the LA Bowl versus UCLA. The guy reminds me of Ty Jordan at his best.

[Onlyu]

He’s in play for sure. Utah won’t have a tough time attracting top RB’s.

[Utah]

Unregulated capitalism. You gotta love it baby. A right winger’s wet dream, college football is.

[The Miami Ute]

Well, let me just say that one of the biggest instigators of the abortion that college football is turning into, Disney/ESPN, is about as right wing as Stalin was. Greed has no politics.

[Brettski]

Thanks Karl

[RustyShackleford]

I don’t think you know what capitalism is…

[highlandute7]

Jackson was the last guy I thought would leave esp with how he was so tight with TJ and AL and their families and seemed so happy here. Plus he truly would have been the main guy if he could stay healthy. It is truly free agency and it is ruining college football, it you can call it that anymore. Really bummed about this one.

[Tony (admin)]

if true, it sucks.