NIL – some odd thoughts.

[UTE98]

Who benefits from NIL? Are some positions getting more $ than they are really worth? While others are under appreciated? Does the college game benefit more from Penix, Ward, or Williams? Honestly Brian Johnson is probably a great example looking back of someone who would have really benefitted from NIL.

So listening to talking heads, casual observation and throwing things out there.

College QBs seem to benefit the most from NIL. Rising, is a great example. Williams may be another. Williams may go first in the NFL draft, however will he be around for a second contract? Maybe not, so why not milk the NIL deal, get a good first contract and get better money for the first “years” of a pro-career? (NIL for Williams is equivalent to a pro deal, he can milk six years out instead of four on a rookie contract.)

Pro QBs may not benefit the most from NIL. If you are the #1 or #2 pick and figure to have a long career the money is better in the NFL. Second contracts or third contracts for a legit pro-QB outweight the advantages of NIL.

RBs – if you’re a RB getting good NIL money in college, take that money. RBs in the NFL are paid less than offensive lineman. Their careers average two to three years. Why not take that money early in college playing 12 games instead of 16? Financially it might be a better decision.

OL – are they really getting good NIL deals when compared to skill players? I don’t think so. NIL has put value on flash instead of production. If I were a good lineman I’d move on the NFL early and bet on having a long career and making up for NIL quickly.

WRs – I’m not really sure about this one. Are WRs making huge NIL money? Is it worth staying in college?

DBs – probably best to go to the NFL if you’re good.

LBs – probably best to go if you’re good.

The market in college weighs QBs too high in my opinion. Why would a QB who has been successful want to leave college if he doesn’t project as pro? Does this stovepipe QBs coming into college? If so do players like DTR block the next QBs? Will it lead to QBs with Pro potential going elsewhere or finding another way to the pros? So many questions, and it’s too early to tell I think.

[Tony (admin)]

I have some other thoughts on NIL and how it is starting to affect CFB in general. I think “certain” teams at the top were illegally paying players prior to NIL. Those teams are not as dominant as they were previously. Maybe it is coincidence, but it seems like now that other teams can lure top talent with money, the field is evening out. Thoughts?

[2008 National Champ]

NIL matters but the true factor is the transfer portal. When you can get starter level replacements for recruiting mistakes / misses, you can build up your team in a hurry.

The top recruits are still going to the same programs so NIL hasn’t stopped that. But if they don’t get on the field, they are now free to go anywhere else instead of sitting on the bench for years. It’s that second movement that is allowing more talent to be on the field at the same time.

Also, there are still kids who got extra eligibility from the covid year so you have some 5th and 6th years who are able to play at a higher level than the freshmen or sophomores that would have normally replaced them.

[UtahMan17]

Really does seem like the field is evening out. TCU beating Michigan to get into the title game? Utah winning Pac-12 back to back? Alabama falling back to the pack as just another top 15 team? Colorado going from a joke to competitive in one season? NIL may have some drawbacks but it’s getting more money to the players and parity is increased so far. Time will tell the ultimate affects, but so far it’s looking like a very positive thing for players and fans alike.

Edit- 2008 makes a good point. The transfer rules also play a HUGE part in this.

[2008 National Champ]

Take back that edit before you get downvoted! 😉

[The Miami Ute]

I think for sure that QBs are the players that are most benefitting from NIL. I’ve mentioned the example of Williams, who’s getting over $6M this year and can stand to make over $10M next season if he stays in school. One thing that I also think NIL has done is kind of start leveling the playing field, so to speak.

For example, take the case of Alabama. Conventional wisdom had it that recruits would go to Alabama to get coached up and go make the big money once they got to the NFL. That ability to make it to the NFL was a prime attraction for recruits to go to Alabama, which is located in one of the poorest states in the nation, has a small population, and other than its fervent support of football, has no economic tangibles to make it a sure fire football powerhouse.

But what if you could get coached up and get paid at the same time or, put another way, what if some recruits would prefer to get paid instead of coached up? Bottom line, in today’s “pay for play” environment with NIL, I think that we’ll see some traditional powers, like Alabama, LSU, etc..kind of come back to the pack because they don’t have the financial wherewithal to compete with schools like Oregon, USC, tOSU, UM, etc…in addition, you might see schools like SMU start becoming relevant in football because they have loose purse strings. Time will tell.

[2008 National Champ]

SMU is already 34th in the Team Talent Composite, which is the top G5. Utah is 33rd.

The last thing anyone needs is for SMU to remember that they’ve got money to burn 🙂

[The Miami Ute]

SMU’s NIL grouping, known as the “Boulevard Collective”, is the second richest behind Oregon’s “Division Street”. I predict that it won’t be long before SMU is back in the college football big-time. Already, every SMU football and basketball player receives a minimum of $36K just for being part of those teams. Texas Tech pays its football players at least $25K a year just for being on the team. Yes, it’s not great money but if you have room and board already taken care of it makes for a lot of spending loot.

[2008 National Champ]

Personal anecdote alert:

In 1988 I did summer school at the U and stayed in the dorm. There were a bunch of football players staying there also and one of them was a Tight End who had transferred from SMU when they shut the program down. One night we got all liquored up and he told stories about who was getting money and how much, although he swore that he hadn’t received anything.

There were people getting money at Utah in those days also so I don’t want to pretend that it was limited to the blue bloods but the numbers he was throwing around for the late 80’s were pretty incredible. 20k was a lot for a car in those days and he told about the players parking lot being full of cars in that price range as well as the hundred dollar handshakes.

If SMU can afford to join the ACC w/o taking any media money, those boosters have everything they need to pay for the best roster.

[The Miami Ute]

Yeap, there’s a reason why their boosters were able to raise more than $100M in less than a week to cover any shortfalls from not receiving any media money.