NIL and Schiano

Here is PJ Fleck:Is they’re always going to be a bigger house? Yes. Is there always gonna be someone who makes more money? Yes. Is there always gonna be a faster car? Yes. There’s always going to be that, absolutely. But I think what we do, and how we do it it, fits our culture and what we do within our program of connecting a football team.””I think that you’re starting to see us being able to get a high-quality athlete, retain a high-quality athlete, and a student-athlete that we can. You know, four years ago, when we lose a player and we have nothing, there’s nothing you can do about it. You pat them on the back and shoot, you’ll drive them there because it’s a better opportunity for them, and I don’t blame them.March 2022“That is why NIL was brought into the college game. For this reason: a young man (Mo Ibrahim) at the university, benefiting off his name, image and likeness and based on all the things he’s done on the field and off the field.October 2024The big thing we have to continue to do is we got to keep adding education because with the name, image, and likeness comes things like taxes, scams, agents. We have to continue to educate the student-athlete and that’s what we already have built into our program. We have had to Gopher Life program, which used to be the Bronco For Life program, for nine years now, which talks to them about finances, taxes, all the things we have done. Now we just got to be able to make that bigger and better as we continue to inform our student-athletes. But I’m excited. As long as we have our players’ safety at the forefront of everything we do in terms of keeping them safe, I think it’s a benefit, and we knew it was coming. Being at the University of Minnesota, where we’re located, I think it’s a grand slam.Dinkytown Athletes has done a really good job of providing our student athletes with a lot of support. … I love where we’re at. We can always be bigger, but we’re way bigger than we were last year. We’re making huge strides in that department.”“Every single scholarship athlete, I can say that, makes NIL money. And I’m a firm believer in connecting the entire football team. Now, like anything, as you continue to go through, you know, [some] people will have abilities to make more, I’m sure. But it’s one of those things that we take a lot of pride in, in connecting our team.“The Golden Gophers football team will become a “Triple-A ballclub” if players don’t receive more NIL money at the University of Minnesota.November 2023July 2021Minnesota collective (Dinkytown Athletes) launchesWe’ve retained players. I think it’s 15 of the 16 starters are back and we lost one starter (Athan Kaliakmanis). But other than that, 15 of them decided to stay. I’m sure they could all make more money, I don’t think that’s a secret. But I am really really thankful and proud of Dinkytown Athletes, our fans, our administration… of really investing into our players.September 2022A lot of our players have NIL deals, and doing a great job of it. And they really enjoy that process.”Things have completely changed and I think people have to put their head around them in college football of 2021 is not even close to where college football is in 2023. Especially in roster management, depth.December 2023It’s incredibly important as we get into the roster management, building a roster of the future. Especially in college football and our job of what we’ll need to be able to do as we keep moving forward to create the most elite experience here at the University of Minnesota.”It’s incredibly important as we get into the roster management, building a roster of the future. Especially in college football and our job of what we’ll need to be able to do as we keep moving forward to create the most elite experience here at the University of Minnesota.””I’ve heard numbers this week (for NIL portal players), whether real or not, that just make your jaw drop, that are pretty much most of our entire NIL totalSeptember 2023We had players that were here that are now gone, playing at another school that should be here playing right now. Because again, NIL. We didn’t pay them. We didn’t pay them enough.December 2022You can look around the country and some of our best players that were here are best players somewhere else. And not only that, guys that are on our team right now, I hope we can hang on to. And we’re going to do everything we can to do that. But the new world, like college football in 2023 and 2024 coming up with the new Big Ten, it’s not even close to where college football was in 2021. It’s a completely different era, and that’s what matters. Whether you like it or don’t like, you disagree or agree with it, that is what is driving college football right now“This morning, Dinkytown Athletes was launched. Which is incredibly important for the future of our program, important for college football, and all student athletes. A collective was formed to support our student athletes through the ever changing landscape and world of college athletics as it continues to move. Derek Burns, who’s a former player here, and Robert Gag, whose son is actually a member of our men’s basketball team as a GA are leading this NIL collective. I’ve met with both of them, and I can’t say this enough on how important this is.Again, with the ever changing landscape of college athletics as I keep saying, it’s incredibly important as we get into the roster management, building a roster of the future of especially college football into our job of what we need to be able to do as we keep moving forward to create the most elite experience here at the University of Minnesota that we can possibly provide our student athletes on and off the field, academically, athletically socially and spiritually as we continue to do that.”(Source: https://247sports.com/college/minne…eck-said-on-september-26th-194147493/#1983501)I got to continue to keep working harder and making sure everybody understands that. But I think we have a really good understanding of where we are and our administration and our people that are involved in our NIL in Dinkytown are working really, really hard as well.Now there’s no Minnesota state law yet, so we have to be able to follow the NCAA, and obviously the University of Minnesota guidelines. But this is awesome that players get to now benefit off their name, image, and likeness.In terms of the recruiting, obviously, it’s going to be a part of recruiting. And we’re going to do what we do, like I told all of you before, you’ve got to be able to adapt. You got to be able to change, and I told you, I’m for it. And now, I think a lot of speculation of what people are getting here and there. I know our University is working really hard. And I know there’s a lot of outside people who really want to be involved in recruiting, but as a head coach, you can’t be involved in it. But as you can see, a lot of University setting up these, these foundations and things for middle ground. So the University stays out of it. And it’s a connection between people who want to be able to help in that area.The job of the head football coach is even more important now in fundraising, not just for facilities and stuff, but for your student-athletes and getting out there and making sure people are really, really aware of what’s going on in college football and how people can keep things together and then go get the needs that you need to be able to get. I think people are really becoming more aware of it, especially our fans, our donors, our boosters, our supporters, and I can’t thank them enough. And we’ve got to continue to keep doing more.That is the fact of life. And I know that we all laugh at it but that is a fact. So if we want to keep players, all these guys we have, they won’t be here next year. Just making sure everybody understands. Our fans, [the good players] won’t be here. We’ll be a Triple-A ballclub for somebody else. That is the reality and the truth of the situation.”I wouldn’t say our NIL money is non-existent. I think we have so many donors and boosters and friends of our program and alumni who care so much about us that have done a great job of donating to NIL. But in the new NIL world, if you’re not the leader in NIL and not have the NIL funds, 1) you’re not going to be able to keep your team intact and 2) you’re not going to be able to bring anyone in. That’s the facts of it. It’s NFL free agency with no salary cap and no rules. That’s the simple fact of it.NIL era begins June 30, 2021(source: https://www.si.com/fannation/bringm…ck-without-nil-money-we-cant-keep-team-intact)“I definitely think NIL is affecting recruiting. I think it also affects the people on your team.”I’m fired up. I’m fired up about name, image, and likeness. I think it’s tremendous. Our location, the Twin City area, the three and a half million people we have in our city, the 18 Fortune 500 companies, this isn’t a small, little college town. We have businesses galore and now having the ability for our players to benefit off their name with all of these companies, that we can’t be a part of organizing that, but they have all these resources at their disposal, at their fingertips.(Source: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/p-j-fl…tive-incredibly-important-to-maintain-roster/)I can’t say this enough – how important this is. So, I’m calling on our donors, boosters, our fans, our alumni, anybody that supports our program to really look at this collective.”he SEC and the Big Ten have major TV contracts that allow that money to be real, allow that money to be there. Our NIL and collective with Dinkytown Athletes, that money’s there. It’s real. I can’t say that for everybody around the country, you know? A lot of stories are coming out from different people, but here at the University of Minnesota, it’s real. I’m really proud of our administration for that, really thankful for that. Thankful for Dinkytown Athletes for making sure that it’s all real. And I think that’s pretty cool.”Mo Ibrahim signs notable NIL deal with General Mills“Dinkytown Athlete’s work is essential – especially when it comes to retaining top talent. Incredibly important for the future of our program, important for college football and all student-athletes.(Source: https://www.twincities.com/2022/11/…ters-nil-deal-to-promote-general-mills-snack/)(sources: https://mndaily.com/268585/city/gophers-football-on-nil-name-image-and-likeness/ ; https://www.si.com/college/northwestern/football/what-each-big-ten-coach-thinks-about-nil)And I think it immediately turns into how does college football change to make sure that happens? I think that’s the world we’re all kind of living in right now where this sand hasn’t settled to the bottom yet with everybody answering the questions about what everybody’s opinion is of transfer portal, NIL, pay for play, all this conference realignment. Still hasn’t settled yet.”(Source: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/p-j-fl…tive-incredibly-important-to-maintain-roster/)December 2024March 2024(source: https://sports.yahoo.com/fleck-says-transfer-portal-prices-000600407.html)And people are stacking up and loading up on their rosters with massive NIL. I think [athletics director Mark Coyle], our athletic department, have done a great job of making people aware of it. This year was definitely better than last year in what we’ve been able to raise with NIL, our collective is doing a great job. That’s the No. 1 most important thing right now in holding onto your roster and creating a roster right now as this whole new era of college football shapes into the future.”(Source: https://247sports.com/college/minne…022-spring-football-season-185402443/#1868322)