College Football- NIL

[supafreak84]

Just curious how others feel about all this? To me, it's ruining college football with all the transfers and pay for play stuff. Coaches literally have to recruit their own players every year now to keep them from transferring. Tradition is dead and it's not for the better 

[Guest]

Don't follow college football, are they finally paying the players?

[Guest]

Still a year out from 2024 national signing day and my son is starting to get some interest, (DII & DIII) already had a roster offer, and about a dozen more programs are following him.  Still needs his senior year (film) but its exciting.  Transfers happen, and although coaches would love to keep their players, they understand that other schools will draw underclassmen from successful programs, and most students have those DI / NFL dreams.

we’ve already had discussions with our son, about the university that commits to him - it is our hope that (as long as the relationship with the staff is respectful / equitable) “You dance with who brought you”. Give your all, to those that fought to get you, and believe in you.

But yes, discussions (especially in CA) headed toward paying players (Im HOPING to defray the cost of tuition, books, food & housing) personally, personally NOT a fan of doing so, but Im an “old timer” and still dont think professional (paid) athletes should compete in the olympics either.  Not a single “dream teamer” can hold the jocks of those young boys from the ‘80 USA hockey team IMO. 

The REAL issue is the insane cost of tuition.  Control that and many of the “ills” surrounding student debt / loans / play for pay will be resolved - Again, just my opinion.
Then again - Im old.

[Guest]

@1VikesFan said:
Don't follow college football, are they finally paying the players?

Yes, and not just football. In any collegiate sport. Depends how good and marketable you are.

College athletes deserve to be paid. Is NIL the right way? Not sure. But colleges are for-profit institutions. They are ridiculously expensive. They make billions and billions annually from college football and basketball and before recently, not only were athletes not paid, a school couldn't buy a recruit a hamburger off the Dollar Menu at McDonalds. Illegal. Stupidity. 

Ultimately, why does anyone go to college? To get a job in the big world. Why shouldn't an 18 year old make money off their likeness? Sports is entertainment and sports entertainment in this country is huge business. Being a highly recruited athlete who doesn't make a penny outside of his scholarship and can walk into the college bookstore and see his name and jersey hanging there but makes zero dollars of it is ridiculous.

[Guest]

Fuck,   I'm not sure why the pro leagues just dont draft the kids out of HS and then tell them what college they are going to play for,  and then tell them when they are ready to make the jump.  College has always been the minor league for the NFL,  why not just make it official?

[Guest]

The Florida NIL deal with the HS player and how it worked out, was the last incident that convinced me how bad it is.  Alumni groups have always caused issues, the new rules have just made it all legal.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...a-football 

[Guest]

...or the NIL deal where the freshman QB from North Carolina was offered "millions" to transfer to a more popular/prestigious football program. Now boosters dictate the landscape of college football. Jethro will pay you to be in their used car lot commercials if you come play football at Alabama. Any integrity college football had left is now gone with the implantation of the NIL. Impulsive kids (and that's what they are) can now jump from program to program with no repercussions. It makes an almost impossible job for college coaches that much harder.

[Guest]

I think this is why Harbaugh continues to flirt with an NFL return because the landscape of college football has changed. At least in the pro's players sign contracts and you know what you have on the roster from year to year

[Guest]

@supafreak84 said:
...or the NIL deal where the freshman QB from North Carolina was offered "millions" to transfer to a more popular/prestigious football program. Now boosters dictate the landscape of college football. Jethro will pay you to be in their used car lot commercials if you come play football at Alabama. Any integrity college football had left is now gone with the implantation of the NIL. Impulsive kids (and that's what they are) can now jump from program to program with no repercussions. It makes an almost impossible job for college coaches that much harder.

College coaches get paid. The big boys get paid a lot. And they are free to leave for more money 1) whenever their contract comes up or 2) so  long as the new employer will pay the buyout price. And they don't have to sit a year before they can do their job. And they can recruit kids to come play for them and then leave at any time. Until recently, a kid playing football in college risked injury and was not paid; he made money for the school, but not for himself. If he got hurt, the school could decline to renew the scholarship and send him packing. And if he were to transfer, he would have to sit a year. Were those the days of integrity in college football? Is that what we ae bemoaning?

Whose interests should we be protecting here: the schools? the coaches? the fans? the alumni? the NFL? the networks and ESPN? How about the players, the 18-22 year olds?  I'll go with the players. Most of them will never play professional football or baseball or basketball. Let them make money playing their sport while major institutions are making money from them playing their sport.

[Guest]

All that is valid, but as a fan, the ones that keep the game relevant by paying for tickets, merchandise, food, beer, and everything else on game days...I don't want to see high school players going to the highest bidder...or other programs poaching my players with promises of cash and prizes. So I'm not sure what the right answer is, I just know that college football is out of control now with the advent of the NIL.