One day, we’re gonna live in a world in which coaches can talk about NIL comfortably.
Like, without everything sounding like either an accusation or a vehement denial. Instead of coaches treating this like they’re on trial, eventually they’ll speak about NIL in the recruiting process just like they speak about how much money their players have made in the NFL.
The Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban feud was many things. It was great theater, it was personal and it was accusatory. It was also a reminder that we’re still not at a place in the NIL era wherein everyone is on the same page. Saban saying that A&M “bought” its entire recruiting class — which happened to be the highest-rated group in 247sports history — was what pushed Fisher over the edge. It’s why the A&M coach fired back at Saban by calling him a narcissist and saying his comments were “despicable.”
Saban responded by stating that he never accused A&M of cheating while Fisher doubled down by going on a San Antonio TV station and declaring that it was “all false” about the rumored tens of millions of dollars that A&M spent on its 2022 recruiting class.
It appears that these coaches have been trained for decades on how to speak about recruiting. What they haven’t been trained in, however, is how to actually speak about NIL’s role in recruiting in a sensible way. It’s still taboo. If it isn’t illegal, calling somebody out for it doesn’t seem right. And on the flip side, if it isn’t illegal, some wholesale denial doesn’t seem right, either.
So while these random May blowups certainly help pass the time during these typically lean months of the college football calendar, it does feel like we can get to a place where there can be a common understanding about the issue.
Let’s give coaches a guideline for how to discuss NIL in an appropriate way that doesn’t create World War III:
Saban admitted that he regretted singling A&M and Jackson State out because the defense is easy. I mean, even if Saban had literally held up a specific contract saying “here’s what Travis Hunter was given to attend Jackson State,” what would that have really done? It’s not like Saban is blowing the whistle on illegal activity.
And even if it was attempting to do something like that, remember when Lane Kiffin infamously said that Urban Meyer illegally called Nu’keese Richardson while he was visiting Tennessee? It was Kiffin who ended up with egg on his face, not only because it came off as insecure, but also because Meyer actually didn’t commit an NCAA violation.
It was Kiffin who actually set Fisher off the first time in February with this comment:
Lane Kiffin: “We don’t have the funding resources as some schools with the NIL deals. It’s like dealing with salary caps.”
He says some schools can pay “5-10” times more.
“I joked I didn’t know if Texas A&M incurred a luxury tax with how much they paid for their signing class.”
This isn’t about being right or wrong. The issue is 2-fold. For starters, if Kiffin doesn’t have proof of that, he sets up Fisher for a pretty easy denial (I’ll get to the manner in which that should be approached in a bit). The other issue is that Kiffin is basically sending a bat signal into the world of “hey, they’ve got more money than we do.” No coach would say “that program in our division has better facilities than we do.” This should be treated in the same sort of way.
It was Kiffin himself who said that kids are going to make their college decisions based on NIL, so why bring even more attention to the differences between Ole Miss and A&M?
Lane Kiffin: Most recruits are choosing schools based on NIL money and “how can you blame them when a lot of them never make the NFL?”
“Go & build these great weight rooms, but you ain’t gonna have any good players in them if you don’t have NIL money.”https://t.co/Bupmmq7jnv
Kiffin can still make his point without adding that part about A&M. He can let us infer which specific programs he’s talking about. That’s really what Saban and Kiffin were both trying to do. Fisher himself wants regulation, as well. The 3 of them just had very different approaches to communicating that.
Here’s the situation that could present itself at a National Signing Day press conference:
Reporter: How much do you think NIL impacted your blue-chip quarterback recruit to sign with your program?
Coach: You’d have to ask him. What I do know is that we’ve taken an aggressive approach to making sure our guys are making the right decisions with NIL once they get here. We equip them with all the resources needed to help themselves while making sure it doesn’t take away from their development as players. We want to excel at that. We recognize that we need to continue to excel at that in order to make sure that we’re giving our players the best possible college experience during the time that they’re on our campus.
We make sure that every player we sign understands what we expect from them, and if they take care of those things, we’re gonna make sure we can get them those opportunities to make money off their likeness. I hope that they looked at what we’ve done through NIL so far and that was a positive for us in the recruiting process. We want to be elite in everything we do, and that includes NIL.
OK, let’s try another one:
Reporter: Another coach said your class was paid $30 million to sign at A&M.
Coach: Is there a question in there?
Reporter: Is what he said true?
Coach: What does it matter if we did or didn’t?
Reporter: Well, I guess it gets into the gray area about what’s pay for play and what’s NIL.
Coach: We’re not breaking any rules with what we’re doing. Does our staff work incredibly hard to sign players? Absolutely. Have we made sure our guys have plenty of NIL opportunities once they arrive on campus? For sure. Recruiting isn’t like you’re sitting at an art auction and bidding on pieces. Sure, it’s a different landscape now and we make NIL part of the recruiting pitch. Kids want to hear about that and I don’t blame them. But in the same way that we sell some recruits after 1 visit to Kyle Field, I’m sure we had some recruits who heard about our NIL opportunities and that sealed the deal for them.
None of that sounds overly defensive. It addresses the NIL elephant in the room and admits that it’s part of the recruiting process. But that doesn’t necessarily turn it into some back and forth that questions one’s ability to recruit the old-fashioned way.
It’s also not a coach’s job to say exactly how many NIL opportunities were made possible or for them to define what pay for play vs. NIL actually is. An answer like that is a subtle flex without an outward denial because let’s also not forget that there are worse narratives to have about a program than being the one ponying up for blue-chip recruits.
There’s a reason why Saban told the world that Bryce Young got $1 million in NIL earnings before he started a game at Alabama.
Let’s do this one last scenario:
Reporter: Coach, do you think your quarterback returning for another year in school was the byproduct of NIL?
Coach: It sure as heck couldn’t have hurt. And if it was the dealbreaker, hey, that’s a win for us.
Nothing wrong with that. At all.
I thought it was strange that Fisher said that he knew everything his staff did was above board, but that he didn’t know how the collective was handled. To be fair, it’s not the coach’s job to decide who gets what through a collective. I get that. But Fisher essentially talked about A&M’s collective, which is called “The Fund,” like it was something totally outside of his jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Saban said on multiple occasions that NIL wasn’t the problem, and that it was collectives that were at the root of the issue. Specifically, the fact that boosters are allowed to funnel money to players through a collective.
It’s interesting that Alabama didn’t have a collective for most of the first year of NIL, but recently got one. Saban said that Alabama players got an even cut of the money. Unlike Fisher, he had specifics about an even distribution. He also somewhat downplayed their significance by saying that “his players made more money than anyone” without a collective:
Nick Saban on NIL ‘collectives’ that raise money to play players: “we didn’t do that last year and our guys made more money than anybody in college football” #Alabama pic.twitter.com/EmQ6gguQGx
— Simone Eli (@SimoneEli_TV) April 19, 2022
Note that when USC won the Jordan Addison sweepstakes, it didn’t do so with a collective, either. Then again, Pitt didn’t have a collective when Addison hit the portal.
Why do I bring that up? Because I think collectives are important, but they’re not everything. The NCAA somehow didn’t anticipate the involvement of collectives, which is why there aren’t necessarily enforced rules in place, other than outlining that teams must abide by whatever “market value” is.
There’s nothing that’s stopping a coach from bragging about how much money a team’s collective brought in. They aren’t technically operated by the university. Saban said that “our players made $3 million for themselves by doing it the right away” and they didn’t buy a single player.
I’d love to hear a coach say “our collective was actually responsible for getting our guys $5 million. I’m grateful that our local business owners stepped to the plate and helped make us better by utilizing our athletes in the community.”
Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But collectives aren’t bagmen. Nobody ever said it was a crime or an NCAA violation to have an outside organization facilitating NIL deals.
It’s just not. Coaches don’t have to say “players have been getting paid forever.” That’s sort of implied.
Let’s play out a little scenario here again:
Reporter: Do you think NIL is good for the future of the sport?
Coach: If we do this right, absolutely NIL can be an asset. Times have changed. We need to change with them. We as coaches need to accept that if we’re going to have different financial benefits off of this sport than what was available 20 years ago, so do the players. Growing our platform is a good thing, which is why I’m all for players getting what they can.
Is this current system perfect? No, but then again, what entirely new system is perfect after just a year? I think we can continue to tweak things to make sure that we’re doing things in the best interest of the future of the sport. We can be pro-NIL and pro-regulation at the same time. Shoot, even Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban agreed on that.
All I know is that we’re embracing this new chapter of college athletics and we’re ready for whatever lies ahead with NIL.
Did I get a touch dramatic with that last line? Probably. But that’s what I’d want my coach to say. You can raise concerns about legislation in the right away. A follow up would probably happen in that setting, too.
Reporter: What would you tweak with NIL?
Coach: Like I said, we can be pro-NIL and pro-regulation at the same time. We like to operate within specific parameters to know what we can and can’t do. Despite what you might see sometimes on a Saturday afternoons, we as coaches acknowledge that we can’t play a football game without officials. We also can’t get on the same page with NIL unless we have a specific set of rules that are being enforced. We need to figure out the best way to make that happen.
An answer like that doesn’t imply that a coach has all the answers, but it at least addresses the current issue. That’s really all that needs to be said.
To be fair, we’ve seen a handful of coaches who have addressed this issue well. Saban has mostly addressed it well. He just took an admitted misstep by signaling out specific programs at the tail end of a 7-minute answer. He’s not alone.
Now, though, Saban and his fellow coaches can refer back to this guideline for how to discuss NIL in a constructive, responsible way that doesn’t start World War III.
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How about the P5 (and maybe the G5) as is likely to happen, take the regulation of CFB out of the hands of the NCAA. Then, pass a rule that all NIL deals have to be fully disclosed whether the deal is with an incoming freshman, a transfer out of the portal, or with a player already on the roster.
BTW, if a high school player can make more bank by attending school B instead of school A, bully for the young man.
No coach-speak needed; full disclosure will speak for itself.
NIL will not change the CFB calculus. The schools that are competitive at CFB championship level today will be competitive tomorrow. Sorry Vandy fans but NIL is not going to move Vandy up to the top level of the SEC.
OT: P5/G5 should also adopt the injury reporting rules used in the NFL.
Honestly, I’m not sure the Supreme Court allowed enough room for any organization to demand full disclosure of NIL deals, certainly not public disclosure. I know some are hoping Congress will intervene, but Reagan was right to fear the words “we’re from the government and we’re here to help.” Congress isn’t known for making things better.
Hey Duck, Vanderbilt has the highest average income of alumni of any school in the SEC. Don’t poke them. They may wake up one day and decide they can afford the best team.
I don’t think Candy needs help like that…
If we are considering them “employees” now, the public has a right to know about compensation of state employees under FOIA. It’s why coach contracts are as public as they are. Also, if they are “employees”, as state employees, I would think there are limitations on what they can accept.
Problem number 1. The NCAA has absolutely zero power to NOW enforce ANY rule with regard to NIL.
Problem number 2. See rule number 1.
Jimbo should not have not gone “total Jimbo” and said that NIL money is legal and A & M benefitted from that. But Jimbo, being himself…that mouth running at 90 miles per hour, as always, took it to a personal insult level. I believe we all can now admit that NIL is just business, not personal. It is the state of College Football in 2022.
The thing that set Jimbo off was the $30M “bought the whole team” accusation because that kind of talk can derail a team. Once recruits start getting the idea that the guys the year before them got a milly each and they don’t get offered that, they feel slighted. The $30 million dollar myth is a myth and Jimbo was right to call them out on it. He’s always said NIL is important – the $30M is ridiculous, though.
Is it? I don’t think anyone on this site is connected as much as the coaches involved who called it out and the one who overreacted to the point it makes it seem very much like it did.
Nobody here really knows. It is VERY suspicious though when you start looking at how odd the situation was. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire and while it may not be 30 mil involved, something surely was, and it wasn’t the weather.
Gig’em…The amount of money involved does not matter…If it’s $12 Million/$18 Million…There seems to be no bottom in the current money-pit.
rxmaster, yes, it is. The coaches who called it out all got their info from the same place the media got it. A bozo named slicedbread who made the whole thing up in a “theory” he promptly deleted. People were so gullible and looking for an explanation that they ran with it and never cared about the source.
That’s all fine. The key issue is regulation. How are regulations to be established? Is it going to be equal footing and equal voice for all schools, whether they are haves or have nots? As long as pay for play was illegal, the have nots had no recourse. Making it legal could give them recourse, in terms of regulations, if they decide to use that power toward a more equitable system. Then there’s enforcement. The NFL model could be very useful in both regulation and enforcement.
Great take. But to have an NFL model sustainable in court requires ‘management’ on one hand and a players union on the other.
Will ‘management’ be each P5 conference going it alone with separate terms of agreement or all for one.
To date in CFB it certainly has not been all for one.
THIS is another reason I see a Super Conference being formed, at least for college football.
I’m taking it for granted that the major schools will leave the NCAA. I don’t see how the NCAA can cope with this, it’s beyond their parameters. It’s naive to think this is anything less than professionalism. It’s pay for play, regardless of what we choose to call it. Some purists may think it can go on as is, but I think this is just a beginning.
How is this a beginning? What do you see as next?
I think the players will be paid employees, eventually.
I disagree in part. I think Big Time schools will grant licenses to 3rd parties of all of their football indicia.
These 3rd party licensees will pay an annual fee to and indemnify the licensor school against all litigation associated with the operation of CFB.
Players as school employees with FUCA, FICA and other demands such as public state retirement contributions for player/employees? I don’t see it happening.
Bama will be Bama but the football players will be employees of third party licensees. Perhaps members of the NFL Union with negotiated deals regarding salary caps, transfers, etc. A players union will negotiate with ‘management.’
A Super League will inevitable form and there will be a draft of high school players who want to be paid to play.
I just cannot see players being employees of public universities. If you want to demote a player to second string the demoted player would have recourse to all of the appeal processes available to university employees.
IMO, CFB is headed to an out-sourced Super League. I truly see no other recourse.
For all other sports conferences could remain as-is and the football Super League programs on some basis will share revenue with non Super League conference members.
The BCS started the capitalization of CFB and ultimately capital leads to size coming to size in any business.
The bigger issue with being a state employee would be FOIA and limitations on NIL money due to state regs designed to prevent improper lobbying.
bayou tiger…Yes the NCAA is a toothless tiger so to speak now. The NCAA cares only about the $$$$$ they make from college sports. It seems that the word “Enforcement” of rules has been forgotten years ago by them.
In no particular order based on the overall average wealth of their alumni base, the amount of multi-millionaire and billionaire alumni, the resources and NIL capabilities, and the school and alumni passion for football, these are the schools that will likely dominate college football in the NIL-era.
-Texas -Texas A&M -UGA -Florida -Bama -Tennessee -University of Southern California -Oregon -Ohio State -UMichigan -UMiami
These are the schools that have the resources, massive passionate fanbases, history, culture, and NIL connections and capabilities needed to excel in the age of NIL.
Why do you think Kiffin, or Dabo, are freaking out? Ole Miss and Clemson aren’t even close to most of these schools in what they can give their players. Why do you think Riley left Oklahoma for USC when he had something good being built there? It’s because Oklahoma isn’t built to compete in the Age of NIL with a school like USC. There may be a few other schools that I’m missing (I almost forgot Tennessee but can you really blame me lol).
Ok something is wrong cuz I agree with Imperial Maj. I guess I need another beer.
Schools that aren’t currently great but are in a good NIL location that might change that.
UCLA, CAL, WASH, COLO, Texas Tech, N Carolina
I agree but most of them lack the passionate fanbases for football. Washington, Cal (wayyy back), UCLA, and Colo have history and all of them have national titles but they have been dormant for too long. N Carolina is becoming passionate and they have the resources so they could do it. Washington has potential they have a somewhat passionate fanbase and a brand but I’m in “wait till you see it” mode for them.
THIS is happening so fast I think many of us would like to join you with another brewski plus.
Don’t agree on U of Miami .
JTF, imperial is correct. UM has deep pockets boosters. Since NIL and the hiring of Cristobal a much higher percentage of the top players are looking harder at UM.
OK. Lived there. Bought 50 yard line tickets for $10 bucks game day. Guess it has changed.
Miami is a little more questionable because their history of success is pretty short, but they do have everything else they need for success. Kids graduating today do not remember a time when Miami was really competitive nationally though.
JTF…agreed about Miami. The “U” has been successful only when some “Rogue-Boosters” were plying $$$, booze, broads, drugs & Corvettes on the players. They do not ever sell out a football game. Their greatness came back in the days of the Old-Orange-Bowl. Recapturing that greatness is not easy, especially in a city that has multiple Professional Athletic teams.
Miami was successful when they illegally spent money on the players. All that money is legal now. So why can’t they compete at that level again? Seems a bit contradictory that they won when buying players but can win now by buying players.
I don’t know about UM illegal activity back then. Seems we know now that everyone was cheating. According to Coach Fisher anyway. I just don’t think they have the fan base to compete in a Collective scenario. Big Donors? Maybe. Going to take a bunch giving a little going forward. My thoughts. Could be wrong.
Regulations, Guidelines, Protocol, Procedures, Process, Whatever you desire to follow, just proceed to leave the NCAA and reinstate all the schools that had their wins taken away.
The Boz had it right in 1987.
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