NIL
Mandel’s Mailbag: The NFL rejected the Sanders firestorm. Is that the difference between CFB and NFL?
I’ve long been one of the few writers covering college football who have little interest in the NFL Draft. And this year, I was particularly apathetic going in, due mostly to the uninspiring class of quarterbacks. But then Shedeur Sanders kept dropping, and suddenly I got sucked in like everybody else. The most interesting angle […]

I’ve long been one of the few writers covering college football who have little interest in the NFL Draft. And this year, I was particularly apathetic going in, due mostly to the uninspiring class of quarterbacks.
But then Shedeur Sanders kept dropping, and suddenly I got sucked in like everybody else.
The most interesting angle of the Shedeur Sanders saga was the NFL rejecting the media firestorm that comes with him and his dad, which is ironic, because Colorado craved that attention! Is that not the biggest difference between college and the NFL? One has dozens of teams starved for coverage while the other has more media coverage than it wants or needs, and wanted no part of a good, though not great player, because of it? — Benjamin D.
In college, unless you’re one of a dozen or so blue bloods, you’re perpetually fighting for national relevance. Especially in a sport in which the players get to choose their teams. Everyone’s looking for that differentiating factor. And Colorado was about as irrelevant as any power-conference program in the country by the end of the 2022 season.
Say what you will about Deion Sanders. He has done exactly what he was hired to do and then some: He’s made Colorado one of the most-covered, highest-viewed programs in the country pretty much all by himself. And Colorado has unabashedly embraced the Sanders family because it’s been so good for business.
But the same hoopla that’s been so good for Colorado apparently had the opposite effect on NFL decision-makers. Personally, I have no problem with Deion’s unique individuality and the way his players embrace it. And if this were basketball, the NBA might be fine with it, too. No one avoided the Ball brothers because they didn’t want to deal with their Dad.
But they call the NFL “The Shield” for a reason. The league is built around conformity. You do things the NFL’s way, or no way. There have certainly been brash stars to pass through it, but they didn’t yet have those brands coming out of college. They abided by the same draft process as everyone else.
Shedeur, by all accounts, did not. He blew off the Senior Bowl, didn’t work out at the NFL Scouting Combine and, according to all the anonymous scouts and GMs, showed up to interviews with teams as if they were recruiting him. If he were a sure-fire top-5 pick, I’m sure teams would have overlooked all of it. But if teams were uncertain he could even be a starter, I see why they’d pass.
For what it’s worth, I thought Shedeur was a very good quarterback at CU. Somehow, in the 4,987 hours pundits spent discussing him last weekend, I did not once hear anyone mention that he put up all those big stats despite having absolutely no pass protection for much of his two seasons. I’m sure that affected his tape.
There’s some talk about how Quinn Ewers probably lost money by entering the draft instead of transferring and taking name, image and likeness money. What if the cash is the same? If a player (hypothetically) knew he would get $1M from the NFL or $1M in NIL, what’s the argument for staying in school, and what’s the argument for going pro? — Michael M.
That would depend on a lot of factors specific to each person. If a college football player comes back, does he have a chance to significantly raise his draft stock? The difference between a first-round selection and a fourth-round selection is a lot more than $1 million. What position does he play? Will there be more competition at that position this year or next? How much is he concerned about suffering an injury that blows up his NFL chances?
I think we can agree that if Ewers knew he was going to be a seventh-round pick, he would have stayed another year. In a market where Carson Beck (Miami), John Mateer (Oklahoma) and Darian Mensah (Duke) all reportedly landed at least $3 million, Ewers, a three-year starter who led his team to two College Football Playoff appearances, might have blown those out of the water.
Obviously, that was not the feedback he was getting at that time. I doubt he was hearing first round, but maybe the second or third?
And another layer: Texas making it to a Jan. 10 Playoff semifinal might have worked against him. The deadline to declare for the draft was only five days later, and a lot of schools had already locked in their transfer portal QB by then. I’m sure his agent was working behind the scenes throughout, but that’s asking a lot for Ewers to make an informed decision while also trying to win a national title.
Based on the number of NFL draft picks various college teams had, which programs are overachieving and which are underperforming? — Trevor K., Portland, Ore.
The Athletic has a story filled with tables of draft picks by schools and conferences.
USC immediately stands out as an underachiever. Three seasons into Lincoln Riley’s tenure, with a roster almost entirely built by him and his staff, the Trojans had just three players selected, third-round cornerback Jaylin Smith, fourth-round running back Woody Marks and seventh-round center Jonah Monheim. A year earlier, USC had seven players selected, most notably No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, but four of those seven were in the sixth and seventh rounds. No wonder the program has gone 8-5 and 7-6 the last two seasons.
Another program that’s fallen off its historical production rate is Auburn, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2020. The Tigers have had just two second-day picks in the past two draft cycles, linebacker Derrick Hall (second) and running back Tank Bigsby (third), both in 2024. This year’s five picks were all in the fifth round or lower.
Worth noting, though, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has current Auburn DT Keldric Faulk going No. 6 in his first 2026 mock draft.
As for overachievers: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti produced an 11-win season last year with just two draft picks, defensive tackle CJ West (fourth) and quarterback Kurtis Rourke (seventh). And it’s not because everyone is back this year. Similarly, SMU reached the CFP and nearly won the ACC with two picks, defensive end Elijah Roberts (fifth) and running back Brashard Smith (seventh). I’m a little surprised Smith didn’t go higher. He was a heck of a weapon, with 1,977 all-purpose yards last season.
Finally, you may have noticed that Cam Skatteboo was the only guy selected from Arizona State’s Big 12 championship team. That’s because ASU has everyone else back: 17 starters. Brugler does not have any of them in his early mock. Perhaps next April we’ll look back at the Sun Devils as super-duper overachievers.
Of the CFP hopefuls, does any team have a more glaring hole at a position than wide receiver for the Nittany Lions? Do you think this will hurt Drew Allar’s draft stock? — Zachary S.
The news got lost over draft weekend, but Penn State did finally land a proven receiver: Syracuse’s Trebor Pena, aka the guy coach Fran Brown suggested may have asked for $2 million to stay there.
Pena is a sixth-year senior who didn’t do much in his first four years but broke out last season in Brown’s pass-heavy offense to the tune of 84 catches for 941 yards. Whereas last year’s big get, Ohio State’s Julian Fleming, was still mostly living off his reputation as a recruit, Pena has shown he can excel at the highest level. He’s not exactly a home-run threat, but he finds ways to get open, and Syracuse used him in a variety of ways.
Pena completes a near-total makeover of a position group that infamously caught zero passes in the CFP semifinal against Notre Dame. Pena joins 1,000-yard receiver Devonte Ross out of Troy and USC veteran Kyron Hudson as transfers, plus three incoming freshmen. I wouldn’t say “problem solved” yet, but it’s certainly a more promising group than last year’s.
Among other CFP contenders, a lot of teams addressed the biggest concerns I had for them in January. Georgia added Illinois running back Josh McCray, coming off a 114-yard performance in the Citrus Bowl against South Carolina, for some much-needed depth behind Nate Frazier. Texas added two pass-catchers in Stanford’s Emmett Mosley V and Cal tight end Jack Endries.
Everyone has question marks, but none I’d consider glaring.
If player X is making $2M per year in NIL money, why should the school then have to pay all of his tuition, room & board, etc.? After all, it’s the school’s brand and conference that allow player X to get that money in the first place. — James W., Westport, Conn.
Technically, schools don’t have to offer any of the 8,000 perks they give their athletes. But they know if they don’t, someone else will.
Seven of the top eight quarterbacks from the class of 2023 have transferred at least once (Arch Manning is the outlier). Is this the new status quo? Do you think this reality — that you’re paying millions for someone who probably won’t play for you — will eventually be priced into the market? — Sean F., Oak Park, Ill.
It’s a fascinating case study. That was the first class that went through a full cycle with NIL, and in the haphazard early days of collectives, no less. No one had any idea what they were doing.
But there are always two sides to a transfer: did the player choose the wrong school (in this case, for money), or did the school choose the wrong player?

Nico Iamaleava chose the UCLA Bruins over the Tennessee Volunteers. (Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
Let’s take a look at those seven players, using 247 Sports rankings.
Nico Iamaleava (five stars), Tennessee to UCLA: I think we can safely put this one in the “money” category. I believe Tennessee’s collective Spyre Sports would have tried to make a big splash with whichever QB Josh Heupel targeted in that class. Nico and his family would have had a hard time turning down $8 million. But it’s not like his Tennessee experience was going poorly. His camp just got greedy.
Malachi Nelson (five stars), USC to Boise State to UTEP: Evaluators just plain laid an egg. For all the hype, it did not take long for Lincoln Riley to realize Nelson was never going to start there. NIL or not, Nelson would have been looking for a new home where he could.
Dante Moore (five stars), UCLA to Oregon: I don’t know that we’ve ever heard the full story on this one. Moore bolted UCLA despite starting as a true freshman. Maybe he didn’t like playing for Chip Kelly. Maybe he wanted a fresh start after playing so poorly. But given that it’s Oregon — it was probably the money.
Jackson Arnold (five stars), Oklahoma to Auburn: After a promising debut in the 2023 Alamo Bowl, Arnold had a first full year starting that could not have gone much worse. Oklahoma was inevitably going to pursue a guy like Mateer. It makes sense that he would transfer.
Jaden Rashada (four stars), Arizona State to Georgia to Sacramento State: He became the poster for NIL gone wrong after the ugly Florida situation. But given he’s gone from briefly starting at ASU to being a third-stringer at Georgia to now landing at an FCS school, it seems like he just doesn’t have it.
Aidan Chiles (four stars), Oregon State to Michigan State: This was just a guy following his coach, Jonathan Smith. Had Smith never left, Chiles might still be there.
Austin Mack (four stars), Washington to Alabama: Same thing. Kalen DeBoer left before Mack could play there, and Mack followed him to Alabama.
My guess is this class will prove to be an outlier. We will always have a lot of movement among QBs, but probably not to this extreme. As for the market, it arguably corrected itself already. Most of the big money is going to portal guys now. (Bryce Underwood being a notable exception.)
Why isn’t Preston Stone getting more attention at Northwestern? He threw for 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions in his last full season before his injury. — Jack D.
Well, that’s easy: Because it’s Northwestern.
Not a lot of offseason coverage of Northwestern football normally, but especially coming off a 4-8 season. Couple that with Stone was a backup last season, and there you go. But Stone is an intriguing pickup for the Wildcats, who haven’t had a legit star quarterback since … Dan Persa? … Mike Kafka? … Zak Kustok?
Besides Peyton Ramsey, who came in from Indiana and did a nice job during the weird 2020 season, Northwestern has not had much luck recently with transfer quarterbacks. See: Hunter Johnson (Clemson), Ryan Hilinski (South Carolina) and Mike Wright (Vanderbilt).
Third-year coach David Braun has a lot riding on Stone. I was in the minority two years ago, as I thought the school acted prematurely in promoting the former North Dakota State defensive coordinator, then 38, to full-time head coach after he served as interim coach for the 2023 team that went 8-5. He was an extremely inexperienced fill-in who was working with Pat Fitzgerald’s veteran staff.
Given the chance to make his own hires last offseason, he brought in South Dakota State offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, then 28, to try to ignite an offense that has somehow ranked in the 100s in yards per play every year since 2018. The result: It slipped even further, to 131st (4.6 YPP).
But in addition to Stone, Northwestern brought in much-needed help at receiver, with Stanford’s Chase Farrell, and at offensive line, where it signed four transfers. That includes two first-team all-conference guys, Liberty’s Xavior Gray and South Dakota State’s Evan Beerntsen.
In my 30 years following Northwestern football, it’s long been the case that the Wildcats rise up when you least expect it. (And flop when there are expectations.)
What is the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) diagnosis for an adult who pays a million dollars, or more, to support the athletes at Anywhere State U? — Tom W., Greensboro, N.C.
I believe the official diagnosis is “being filthy rich.”
Considering everything (CFP access, TV contracts and exposure, other conference revenue, strength of schedule, travel, etc.), are the top Group of 5 schools like Boise State and Memphis better off in separate conferences or forming one “super” G5 conference? — Reggie C., San Diego
On CFP access alone, they’d absolutely be better off in the same conference, especially if just for football. Put all the best G5 programs in one league, and that league is likely to get an automatic CFP berth almost every year. If I’m the new Pac-12, that’s exactly the pitch I’m making to Memphis and Tulane.
The problem: the Pac-12 doesn’t have a TV deal beyond 2025. The AAC does, with ESPN, and it’s a good one: $1 billion over 12 years, running through 2032. There was hope out West that the Pac-12 could land itself something better at the time it got Boise State and those other MWC schools, but as more time passes without adding that eighth member, the more likely it seems it is not fetching what it hoped for. The best chance is if TNT, which has been gobbling up smaller properties since losing the NBA, decides to overpay for a conference without much brand recognition.
If the money is mostly even, though, I don’t know how a school like Memphis justifies paying a bunch of exit fees to move from ESPN to TNT and/or the CW. It can still reach the CFP from the conference it’s in now.
I know it seems preposterous, but it’s mid-offseason, right? What would a draft look like in college football? — Karl S.
I just don’t see how you do that as long as the players have to be actual college students.
Imagine being a high-school senior and instead of applying to a bunch of schools, seeing which ones you got into and then picking the one you want to attend, you just got an email that said, “With the 109,343rd pick in the American University Enrollment Draft, you’ve been selected by Eastern Michigan University. See you in the fall. Pack a winter coat.”
That’s what it would look like.
(Top photo: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
NIL
Boulder law firm files appeal of House v. NCAA settlement – Boulder Daily Camera
A law firm in Boulder representing a group of female athletes filed an appeal of the House v. NCAA settlement on Wednesday. The firm of Hutchinson Black and Cook (HBC) is arguing that the landmark settlement, which was approved on Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken in Northern California, violates the gender equity statute in Title […]

A law firm in Boulder representing a group of female athletes filed an appeal of the House v. NCAA settlement on Wednesday.
The firm of Hutchinson Black and Cook (HBC) is arguing that the landmark settlement, which was approved on Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken in Northern California, violates the gender equity statute in Title IX.
According to FrontOfficeSports.com, this is the first appeal of the House settlement. There are expected to be more appeals in the coming months based on Title IX.
NIL
BSB | Madrigal Named NCBWA Second Team All-American, Program’s First Since 2019
Story Links 2025 NCBWA All-American Teams DALLAS, Texas. – Eddie Madrigal was the lone West Coast Conference All-American as he was named to the NCBWA Second Team for his first career All-American selection. Madrigal put together one of the most complete seasons individually in […]

DALLAS, Texas. – Eddie Madrigal was the lone West Coast Conference All-American as he was named to the NCBWA Second Team for his first career All-American selection. Madrigal put together one of the most complete seasons individually in program history, finishing with a .368 batting average, 21 home runs, 78 RBI, a .698 slugging percentage and a conference leading 1.160 OPS.
Madrigal was named to the All-WCC First Team and was a Player of the Year candidate all season long, hitting .396 and belting eleven homers in the team’s 24 conference games. Madrigal was also named the WCC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after finishing the postseason tournament with a .455 average, ten hits, 13 runs scored, two home runs and a team high eleven RBI.
Madrigal played a huge role in the Gaels historic season as they won their second ever WCC Tournament Championship and secured their first NCAA Regional win in program history after upsetting eighth ranked Oregon State. Madrigal became the first Saint Mary’s All-American since 2019 when Tyler Thornton was named an NCBWA Freshman All-American as well as the NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Thornton finished his rookie season with a 10-2 record, a 2.71 ERA and 94 strikeouts. Head coach Eric Valenzuela has now produced five ABCA All-Region selections and three NCBWA All-Americans in his eight seasons leading the Gaels baseball program. The complete All-American teams can be found HERE or at sportswriters.net.
About the NCBWA…
There are 17 different conferences and 16 conference championship squads represented among the ’25 standouts. The three All-America squads are also made up of 16 conference players or co-players of the year, 12 conference pitchers of the year, five conference relief pitchers of the year, and nine Division I loop defensive players of the year.
All 84 student-athletes on the teams took their teams to the pinnacle of NCAA Championship competition this spring or helped them qualify for the NCAA World Series. There are 14 All-America stalwarts competing in the 78th NCAA Division I World Series, and dozens of others played in NCAA Regionals or Super Regionals.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association’s official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary’s athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
NIL
Memphis Football Coach Explains NIL and Transfer Portal Challenges | Chris Vernon Show
Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield joins today’s episode of the Chris Vernon Show to talk all things recruiting, transfer portal, and NIL in today’s college football landscape.If you have any questions about how things work for a head coach in college football, he answers them.#chrisvernonshow#collegefootball#cfb#memphistigers#memphis#transferportal#nil Link 0

Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield joins today’s episode of the Chris Vernon Show to talk all things recruiting, transfer portal, and NIL in today’s college football landscape.
If you have any questions about how things work for a head coach in college football, he answers them.
#chrisvernonshow
#collegefootball
#cfb
#memphistigers
#memphis
#transferportal
#nil
NIL
John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers
The post John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers appeared first on ClutchPoints. The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best […]

The post John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best recruiters, Arkansas’ John Calipari, recently spoke up about how that shapes the expectations for transfers and recruits who come into their new schools.
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As one of the best recruiters in college basketball and potentially all college sports, Calipari has firsthand experience with NIL. While NIL has not changed Calipari’s status as an elite recruiter, it has emboldened him even more, bringing in top recruits at Kentucky and Arkansas. However, big-time players come with big-time money, and Calipari admitted that he and his staff tread lightly even more now due to that aspect of recruiting.
Calipari was on an episode of Golic & Golic on FanDuel Sports Network this week and elaborated on how they navigate this new landscape.
“Did you see the interview with the Kansas State player (Coleman Hawkins) after last year’s season, where he cried? Cried. ‘They paid me $2 million and I couldn’t live up to it.’ There’s one thing about being the star on any team,” Calipari said. “You guys did it, that star makes the most and, wow, but the most is expected from them. So, some guys in college basketball this year are making between $ 3 million and $5 million. Teams are spending 20 million on rosters. Now there’s an expectation. You better win a national title, or you better be a guy, Calipari said.
“If one of you paid a college player four million, would you expect that $4 million player to drag us to the Final Four?”
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In some cases, the risk might not outweigh the reward when programs like Arkansas basketball offer millions of dollars to recruits. Calipari continued to elaborate on how this is impacting the current recruiting landscape.
“That’s different than a seasoned professional dealing with it. So, trying to keep that away from what we do, but social media brings it right back,” Calipari said. “This guy’s making $3 million, and this is the best he is. So, you know, it’s — I think we gotta protect our kids, but some of it, you can’t. You want to be paid a lot. You’re now a professional. You need to perform.”
Thanks to the House settlement being approved, some NIL numbers should be curbed, and at least the field in college sports should be leveled. However, this new era of recruiting is a bidding war, and Calipari and other coaches need to adapt to navigating the potential expectations that come with that.
Related: Fans debate possible NBA-like change in college hoops
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NIL
There Looks To Be a Lot of Competition in the Front Court for Oklahoma State
STILLWATER – Steve Lutz and Co. are looking to have some success this season in order to try and have some stability with the roster moving forward in this new era of college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal. Now, success doesn’t/won’t always equal a stable roster as there will always be players who are […]

STILLWATER – Steve Lutz and Co. are looking to have some success this season in order to try and have some stability with the roster moving forward in this new era of college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal.
Now, success doesn’t/won’t always equal a stable roster as there will always be players who are either unhappy with their current playing time/money situation, or any other number of factors which will always be there.

Oklahoma State University Athletics
Robert Jennings II against Baylor last year.
As for this year’s roster, it looks nearly completely different from last year’s as only two scholarship players returned in Robert Jennings II and Andrija Vukovich. There have been seven transfers, three high school players and an older international freshman added. In keeping things with last year and this year different, this year’s roster has more youth on it. So, hopefully with success and wins comes more players willing to stick around after the season, allowing Lutz and Co. to create some stability.
Now, a good chunk of the youth is at the forward and center positions. Lutz brought in two high school bigs in Ben Ahmed and Mekhi Ragland, international freshman Lefteris Mantzoukis and transfer F/C Parsa Fallah to go with Vukovic who has improved physically from last year.
I’ve talked to someone close to the program who believes Fallah to be the main big right now based on experience, fitness and talent. But this summer will hopefully make it a much tougher position as the high school players get into better shape and used to the speed and physicality of the college game.

Oklahoma State Athletics
Fallah in practice.
Fallah checks in at 6-9, 260 pounds and is in Stillwater by the way of Oregon State. He averaged nearly 13 points per game as a junior for the Beavers on 60% shooting from the floor, with four rebounds and one assist per game.
“Parsa’s been great,” said Lutz. “He’s been one of those guys that’s tried to lead. He has an infectious personality, he doesn’t ever have a bad day when he walks in the room, he brings the energy level up. He adds to the room and he’s great. He needs to get a little bit better shape right now, but we expect big things from him. But I’m telling you, I really think that there’s gonna be a lot of competition along that front line. I really do because those two freshman, man, they don’t know what they’re doing yet, but there’s a lot of talent and a lot of ability. Then like you say, Mili [Vukovic] is coming back for his second year, so he’s lightyears ahead of where he was last year.”

Pokes Report
Ahmed on his official visit to Stillwater.
Both Ahmed and Ragland are roughly 6-10 and need to trim up, put on some muscle and get stronger. No one really knows what Mantzoukas can/will bring to the table as he won’t be in Stillwater for the foreseeable future to due student visas being paused. OSU is working with the state government and Washington to get it cleared up.
NIL
John Calipari gets real on lucrative NIL ‘expectations’
The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best recruiters, Arkansas’ John Calipari, recently spoke up about how that shapes the expectations for transfers and recruits who come […]

The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best recruiters, Arkansas’ John Calipari, recently spoke up about how that shapes the expectations for transfers and recruits who come into their new schools.
As one of the best recruiters in college basketball and potentially all college sports, Calipari has firsthand experience with NIL. While NIL has not changed Calipari’s status as an elite recruiter, it has emboldened him even more, bringing in top recruits at Kentucky and Arkansas. However, big-time players come with big-time money, and Calipari admitted that he and his staff tread lightly even more now due to that aspect of recruiting.
Calipari was on an episode of Golic & Golic on FanDuel Sports Network this week and elaborated on how they navigate this new landscape.
“Did you see the interview with the Kansas State player (Coleman Hawkins) after last year’s season, where he cried? Cried. ‘They paid me $2 million and I couldn’t live up to it.’ There’s one thing about being the star on any team,” Calipari said. “You guys did it, that star makes the most and, wow, but the most is expected from them. So, some guys in college basketball this year are making between $ 3 million and $5 million. Teams are spending 20 million on rosters. Now there’s an expectation. You better win a national title, or you better be a guy, Calipari said.
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“If one of you paid a college player four million, would you expect that $4 million player to drag us to the Final Four?”
In some cases, the risk might not outweigh the reward when programs like Arkansas basketball offer millions of dollars to recruits. Calipari continued to elaborate on how this is impacting the current recruiting landscape.
“That’s different than a seasoned professional dealing with it. So, trying to keep that away from what we do, but social media brings it right back,” Calipari said. “This guy’s making $3 million, and this is the best he is. So, you know, it’s — I think we gotta protect our kids, but some of it, you can’t. You want to be paid a lot. You’re now a professional. You need to perform.”
Thanks to the House settlement being approved, some NIL numbers should be curbed, and at least the field in college sports should be leveled. However, this new era of recruiting is a bidding war, and Calipari and other coaches need to adapt to navigating the potential expectations that come with that.
Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix.
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