Texas A&M is returning a lot of production for 2025, but one area where they’ll need some young players to step up in a big way is along the defensive line. One of the key names that will need to make some noise there is former five-star David “DJ” Hicks, who signed with the Aggies in the class of 2023.

Since that time, Hicks has seen some on-and-off playing time for A&M, but hasn’t quite broken through yet. Now, though, all attention is on him, and he’ll be one of the most important players this year for the Aggies’ squad.

As such, you can expect that he commands some significant NIL contracts— that’s the way college football works nowadays, after all. But yesterday, Hicks showcased that he’s willing to give back part of what he’s earned in a big way.

David “DJ” Hicks gives back by donating ten grand to former high school

Hicks started off his high school career playing for Allen High School, north of Dallas, but closed out playing for Katy Paetow down in Houston. DJ decided to give back with a five-figure donation to the school, which was made public yesterday.

DJ’s dad is the head coach at Paetow, so he obviously still has some strong connections to the school. College Station is not far from Katy at all, so it’s not hard to imagine that Hicks is there regularly to see his dad, watch practices, etc.

Even with the level of contracts that players reportedly are receiving nowadays, it’s not easy to give back to this degree. When we see players doing so, it deserves to be congratulated— way to go, DJ!

PROVO — As college football continues to evolve in the wake of the NIL era, the traditional model of recruiting, development, and player loyalty is being fundamentally reshaped.

At the intersection of this transformation is Will Snowden, the founder of Alpha Recruits, which is a Utah-based organization that helps young athletes navigate the college football recruiting process.

Snowden has been a firsthand witness to the sweeping changes that NIL, the transfer portal, and increased agent involvement are bringing to the sport, and he doesn’t see things stabilizing anytime soon.

Where once recruiting was a long-term investment — identifying and developing young talent from the high school level — many programs now operate more like free-agent hunters.

The influx of NIL money and the wide-open nature of the transfer portal have turned college football into a high-stakes marketplace, and agents are no longer limited to post-college careers; they are now very much part of the college game, actively recruiting players still in school.

“With college players being paid, a lot of the top agencies are attacking and going to get these players now,” Snowden said in a recent interview with ESPN 103.9 and 98.3 The Fan. “These agents are getting a ton of information about opportunities … all of a sudden, there’s information about what that kid might be worth if he were to get into the portal.”

Free market free agency

The power that agents now wield is remarkable. They serve not just as advisors but as market makers — negotiating NIL deals, influencing transfer decisions, and even initiating contact between schools and players, directly or indirectly.

While some argue this offers athletes much-needed empowerment, others like Snowden are deeply concerned about the lack of regulation, oversight, and long-term planning within this fast-evolving system.

The real winners in this new structure, according to Snowden, are often players who have already proven themselves at the college level and are willing to jump ship. These players, especially those with multiple years of eligibility left, can command significant NIL offers simply by entering the portal and creating a bidding war among programs.

“Most top players are worth more in the portal than they are at their (current) school,” he said. “I don’t see it changing anytime soon because there is no collective bargaining; there is no union. I’m interested to see how it all plays out.”

High schoolers are not high priority

For college coaches, roster management has become chaotic and unpredictable. For high school athletes, it’s even worse. With programs focused on experienced portal players, many high school seniors are being left behind, even when their talent and potential clearly warrant scholarship consideration. Snowden said the impact has been staggering.

“I’ve seen a 75% drop,” Snowden said, referencing the decline in scholarship offers to high school players. “I’m going to tell you something that really upset me. I have a few guys I’m trying to place who are high school seniors — very good, talented. I’m speaking to an (FCS) program and they say, ‘We need a preferred walk-on backer. He’s going to have to pay for his school first.’

“They said, ‘It has to be a portal guy.’ I said to myself, OK, this is what’s really broken. Schools want to complain about the portal but then all they’ll take is the portal.”

The contradiction is glaring.

College programs bemoan the destabilizing effects of the transfer portal but simultaneously rely on it as their primary method of roster building.

For young players dreaming of college football, this has made the process murkier and more discouraging than ever. The notion of being “recruited and developed” is increasingly being replaced by “wait your turn and hope someone leaves.”

Familial ties and third party connections

Snowden’s recruiting work in Utah offers a clear lens into these shifting dynamics. The state has a close-knit football community, where families often have ties to multiple local universities. Loyalty, tradition, and development used to matter.

But even in a place so steeped in football culture, the new economics of the sport are reshaping how decisions are made and where players end up.

“In Utah, it’s a very small community,” he said. “There aren’t many families that don’t have connections to every school in the state. You have so many families that are split.”

These internal divides reflect broader national trends. NIL and the transfer portal have blurred the lines between amateurism and professionalism; and for many players, the decision to transfer isn’t about loyalty, for some it’s about opportunity, and market value.

Families, third-party representation, and agents see a better deal elsewhere and nudge players into the provocative portal. For others, it’s due to the new transactional relationships between programs and players.

Many players recently have been gently encouraged to enter the portal by coaches seeking to free up scholarships or refresh rosters.

“This is the reality. The portal’s a very interesting place,” Snowden said. “Many of the kids that are in the portal were told to enter the portal. The kids are getting hip to the game. … ‘I gotta do what’s best for me.'”

Transactional vs. transformational

Once rare, transferring is now increasingly common. When relations turn transactional, there is a survival instinct that kicks in that reminds players and their families to make the most of their short college window.

Programs, efforting to retain talent, need a strong message and competitive NIL to retain them. Retaining talent no longer depends on just building a strong team culture, winning as a team or offering playing time. It now requires programs to understand each athlete’s financial and long-term personal calculus.

“It just comes down to the kids, their situation, the commitment to the program, their role inside the program as well,” Snowden said.

At its core, Snowden’s work is still about helping young athletes achieve their dreams. But that dream — of signing on national signing day, wearing a college jersey, and slowly working into a starting role — is fading fast. The system is becoming more transactional, and unless structural reforms come into play, the future of high school recruiting could be in jeopardy.

“I’m focused on helping high school kids live out their dream of playing college football,” he said. “And it’s getting harder and harder — not by the day, but by the second.”