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Texas Recruiting Notes 2025: Now We Have a Nerf Gun


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Oregon is in win now before Phil kicks the bucket mode. They are will willingly to wildly overpay for any and all positions.  Long term that is a shitty strategy.  Giving guys with no playing experience more than guys who have worked their way up the depth chart will destroy the overall team dynamic long term.  It’s a true challenge for teams like Texas building for the future.  It is what it is. Texas has to to evaluate really well and win on those players they feel are truly deference makers.  I think Sark knows this and will focus on their evals.  NIL is is both good and bad.  Oregon has always payed players under the table at least now the have to overpay to get them. 

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5 hours ago, stork642 said:

It’s a true challenge for teams like Texas building for the future

While I never expected Texas to have unlimited funds, I truly thought our annual NIL budget would be superior to the NIL budgets of everyone else to such a degree, that the statements you are making about Oregon over-paying would be made about us. But we wouldn't be over-paying. We would be paying more than everyone else, up and down our roster, and it it would be sustainable, year after year.

I guess this was wishful thinking.

I guess we are at the same NIL level as pretty much everyone else. It will suck if we have to watch Oregon win a title in the next few years (and we don't win one in that time span). This looks like a very real possibility. 

Many of you guys have beat the drum hard enough around here that it has sunk in. There is a top tier of NIL spending and, my fantasies be damned, it looks like we aren't in that top tier. 

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1 hour ago, JFKFC said:

While I never expected Texas to have unlimited funds, I truly thought our annual NIL budget would be superior to the NIL budgets of everyone else to such a degree, that the statements you are making about Oregon over-paying would be made about us. But we wouldn't be over-paying. We would be paying more than everyone else, up and down our roster, and it it would be sustainable, year after year.

I guess this was wishful thinking.

I guess we are at the same NIL level as pretty much everyone else. It will suck if we have to watch Oregon win a title in the next few years (and we don't win one in that time span). This looks like a very real possibility. 

Many of you guys have beat the drum hard enough around here that it has sunk in. There is a top tier of NIL spending and, my fantasies be damned, it looks like we aren't in that top tier. 

Will you gapping pussies give it a rest. Part of having an elite tier NIL is that your NIL is sustainable in the long term to an ensure that you set a extremely high floor for your program. If Texas has a hypothetical sustainable NIL spending level of 20 million a year then we need to stick to that so we have a top 5 roaster every year. Some other program with a budget of 15 million may decide to hedge their future and spend 25 million knowing they will only have 5 million to spend next year, that doesn't mean they have better NIL program than Texas it just means they're far more reckless with their spending. Programs every year are going to break the bank to try and go "Natty or Bust",  I don't think Texas fans would be happy to see us money whip a super team but then fall short of a national title only to watch our roster and recruiting class get picked apart the next season because will blew our entire load the previous year.

Edited by Not a Sock
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4 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

Will you gapping pussies give it a rest. Part of having an elite tier NIL is that your NIL is sustainable in the long term to an ensure that you set a extremely high floor for your program. If Texas has a hypothetical sustainable NIL spending level of 20 million a year then we need to stick to that so we have a top 5 roaster every year. Some other program with a budget of 15 million may decide to hedge their future and spend 25 million knowing they will only have 5 million to spend next year, that doesn't mean they have better NIL program than Texas it just means they're far more reckless with their spending. Programs every year are going to break the bank to try and go "Natty or Bust",  I don't think Texas fans would be happy to see us money whip a super team but then fall short of a national title only to watch our roster and recruiting class get picked apart the next season because will blew our entire load the previous year.

Some, sure. Others will be pissed we don’t do it that way - can I show you to the Gambling board?

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7 minutes ago, utexas8 said:

Hasn’t Oregon always been willing to pay? I never understood why it seemed Oregon was a stepping stone school for coaches. The pac was easy, Phil has open pockets.

A lot of kids just don't want to go to Eugene. It's pretty, but it's rainy, remote, and overwhelmingly white.

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30 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

Part of having an elite tier NIL is that your NIL is sustainable in the long term

Are we on a 30-year NIL plan? Just how long term is long term?

With Arch-mania going into full effect next season, I wouldn't mind some reckless spending to gear up for the next couple of years. But that is just me. 

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26 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

Will you gapping pussies give it a rest. Part of having an elite tier NIL is that your NIL is sustainable in the long term to an ensure that you set a extremely high floor for your program. If Texas has a hypothetical sustainable NIL spending level of 20 million a year then we need to stick to that so we have a top 5 roaster every year. Some other program with a budget of 15 million may decide to hedge their future and spend 25 million knowing they will only have 5 million to spend next year, that doesn't mean they have better NIL program than Texas it just means they're far more reckless with their spending. Programs every year are going to break the bank to try and go "Natty or Bust",  I don't think Texas fans would be happy to see us money whip a super team but then fall short of a national title only to watch our roster and recruiting class get picked apart the next season because will blew our entire load the previous year.

Its a beating. People need to understand that even if Texas has the one of the largest NIL collectives, they are still going to be subject to someone doing something stupid. Its no different than the draft or free agency. You want to use a 1st round pick on a guy with a middle of the 2nd round grade, you will get him. If you want to pay 15 million a year for someone that the market believes is worth 10-12 million, you will get him. If a recruit is deemed to be worth 500-700k and you pay 7 figures, you win. On the aggregate Texas is more than competitive, but that does not mean they will win every individual NIL battle. 

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Marco Martin. Larry Dibbles. Taylor Bible. These were all high profile DT wins that never reached potential. There is a risk in committing big NIL to a freshman that may never pan out. 
 
(It’s funny. We all enjoyed the Sark interview where he emphasized that NIL was the very last thing he would bring up with a recruit, because we’re not going for the “all about the money” guys. Now, Nahlin is writing that these DT recruitments are all about NIL)
 
I’m not going to praise our strategy- clearly it’s not working this year. I don’t know that we have to blow it up. Maybe adjust it. Maybe cast a wider net of offers? Maybe increase NIL allotment for DTs 20%? I don’t know, but I think we need a deliberate strategy rather than a rash reaction to feel good about recruiting. 

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6 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

If you want to pay 15 million a year for someone that the market believes is worth 10-12 million, you will get him.

Isn't this the time to overpay? 

I really think significant regulation is not far away. There will be collective bargaining with players, NIL caps, federal legislation.....something to reign things in a bit.

We may only have 2 to 3 years of the Wild West that is unregulated NIL. Sark has built a very competitive team with the best QB room in the country. We should push in all of our chips now. I think this would be an easy sell to our wealthiest boosters. Let's worry about responsible NIL administration when it is forced upon us and everyone.

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Id consider it more like free agency than the draft except you have no idea how these young guys will react to life changing money/actually being a college athlete. 
If you negotiate a certain price for a current player, then sign a HS guy for more, it could lead to big time issues.
Guys could feel slighted and all that goes along with that. Now add spheres of influence and immaturity. 

I’d rather pay for a proven guy at the collegiate level than a prospect who could get paid twice/get paid and leave before ever making an impact.

Some of these guys will be cheaper the second time around. I’d bet Lebbeus Overton was cheaper for Bama than he was for A&M

Edited by Atticus
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20 minutes ago, JFKFC said:

Isn't this the time to overpay? 

I really think significant regulation is not far away. There will be collective bargaining with players, NIL caps, federal legislation.....something to reign things in a bit.

We may only have 2 to 3 years of the Wild West that is unregulated NIL. Sark has built a very competitive team with the best QB room in the country. We should push in all of our chips now. I think this would be an easy sell to our wealthiest boosters. Let's worry about responsible NIL administration when it is forced upon us and everyone.

Problem is being willing to overpay doesn't negate the other team willing to overpay even more.  

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53 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Counterpoint: Tuscaloosa

of course you, of all people, don't understand the differences between the two cities and why recruits would favor one over the other over the last like 20 years.

ill try to make it a visual and use as few words as possible so you can understand.

Oregon:

image.png.7c36f81c62dfedb488302757dd8f5e1c.png + 11 Consensus All Americans + 1.66% black + 85+% white/hispanic

vs

Alabama:

image.thumb.png.94403d0897ebfd4268dfd1d2c1bb6da9.png

+AJ-Rings.jpg?ssl=1 + image.thumb.png.0f379f570b3775cc9838bf47275f2c08.png + 86 Consensus All Americans + 41% black + 53% white/hispanic

Edited by NoName
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24 minutes ago, immamac said:

There was an 8 figure outflow of NIL the preceding 12 months. The coaches aren't doing stupid shit because they have money in the bank. Baseball is a great example of doing stupid shit with NIL money and getting bad results. Football is a great example of what to do with NIL for great results. 

This narrative about DT being a huge issue is largely predicated on losing 2 high NFL draft picks that played the primary roles at that position, not because some 18 year olds aren't coming here. There are very good DT on the roster and no one was in here bitching about how shitty the DT looked in the spring game, especially with the new edge rush. As much as the handwringing brings views and whatnot it's time to just wait and assess what we've got going on instead of creating insane doom stories about how we are fucked because we have no DT. 

image.gif.6f79be34c386bfeb483243834e1eca5e.gif

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1 hour ago, Not a Sock said:

Will you gapping pussies give it a rest. Part of having an elite tier NIL is that your NIL is sustainable in the long term to an ensure that you set a extremely high floor for your program. If Texas has a hypothetical sustainable NIL spending level of 20 million a year then we need to stick to that so we have a top 5 roaster every year. Some other program with a budget of 15 million may decide to hedge their future and spend 25 million knowing they will only have 5 million to spend next year, that doesn't mean they have better NIL program than Texas it just means they're far more reckless with their spending. Programs every year are going to break the bank to try and go "Natty or Bust",  I don't think Texas fans would be happy to see us money whip a super team but then fall short of a national title only to watch our roster and recruiting class get picked apart the next season because will blew our entire load the previous year.

Has there ever been a thought to invest the collective’s donations in an effort to preserve longevity and reduce donor fatigue? I’m wondering if the group of billionaire alums would be willing to make a sizable one time donation that gets put into a trust and invested so that annual nil budgets could be compromised from the interest. 
 

Terrible idea or what? 

1 hour ago, Codaxx said:

Its a beating. People need to understand that even if Texas has the one of the largest NIL collectives, they are still going to be subject to someone doing something stupid. Its no different than the draft or free agency. You want to use a 1st round pick on a guy with a middle of the 2nd round grade, you will get him. If you want to pay 15 million a year for someone that the market believes is worth 10-12 million, you will get him. If a recruit is deemed to be worth 500-700k and you pay 7 figures, you win. On the aggregate Texas is more than competitive, but that does not mean they will win every individual NIL battle. 

Very simple concept that seems lost on so many. 

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23 minutes ago, NoName said:

of course you, of all people, don't understand the differences between the two cities and why recruits would favor one over the other over the last like 20 years.

ill try to make it a visual and use as few words as possible so you can understand.

Oregon:

image.png.7c36f81c62dfedb488302757dd8f5e1c.png + 11 Consensus All Americans + 1.66% black + 85+% white/hispanic

vs

Alabama:

image.thumb.png.94403d0897ebfd4268dfd1d2c1bb6da9.png

+AJ-Rings.jpg?ssl=1 + image.thumb.png.0f379f570b3775cc9838bf47275f2c08.png + 86 Consensus All Americans + 41% black + 53% white/hispanic

The discussion wasn’t about football dipshit. It was about the city and NIL. Follow along with the thread 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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3 minutes ago, Hornmatic said:

Has there ever been a thought to invest the collective’s donations in an effort to preserve longevity and reduce donor fatigue? I’m wondering if the group of billionaire alums would be willing to make a sizable one time donation that gets put into a trust and invested so that annual nil budgets could be compromised from the internet. 
 

Terrible idea or what?

So…in other words, an NIL endowment. Yes, IIRC, @closetojumping has mentioned that is a goal being worked toward. 

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26 minutes ago, NoName said:

of course you, of all people, don't understand the differences between the two cities and why recruits would favor one over the other over the last like 20 years.

ill try to make it a visual and use as few words as possible so you can understand.

Oregon:

image.png.7c36f81c62dfedb488302757dd8f5e1c.png + 11 Consensus All Americans + 1.66% black + 85+% white/hispanic

vs

Alabama:

image.thumb.png.94403d0897ebfd4268dfd1d2c1bb6da9.png

+AJ-Rings.jpg?ssl=1 + image.thumb.png.0f379f570b3775cc9838bf47275f2c08.png + 86 Consensus All Americans + 41% black + 53% white/hispanic

From the Bama Championships you have listed, 5 are fairytales.  Including 1964 when Texas beat them in the orange bowl

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1 hour ago, statsman said:

Marco Martin. Larry Dibbles. Taylor Bible. These were all high profile DT wins that never reached potential. There is a risk in committing big NIL to a freshman that may never pan out. 
 
(It’s funny. We all enjoyed the Sark interview where he emphasized that NIL was the very last thing he would bring up with a recruit, because we’re not going for the “all about the money” guys. Now, Nahlin is writing that these DT recruitments are all about NIL)
 
I’m not going to praise our strategy- clearly it’s not working this year. I don’t know that we have to blow it up. Maybe adjust it. Maybe cast a wider net of offers? Maybe increase NIL allotment for DTs 20%? I don’t know, but I think we need a deliberate strategy rather than a rash reaction to feel good about recruiting. 

 Its a few issues.  #1 the state of Texas is not producing DTs at a high level. #2 Texas has a new coach that had <6 months to establish relationships #3 Texas decided to go for white whales without contingency plans (that probably a Sark call, not a Baker call). You could add mediocre at best DT recruiting the last 4 years has exacerbated the situation. 

Edited by Codaxx
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23 minutes ago, BurntOrange&amp;White said:

The discussion wasn’t about football dipshit. It was about the city and NIL. Follow along with the thread 

that somehow makes it even worse.

you don't understand why top football recruits, many of whom are from the South, many of whom are african american, would have more interest in spending 3+ years in Tuscaloosa, which is 40x larger african american (by percent) and playing closer (in theory) to where they are from vs going to the middle of nowhere Oregon and playing mostly along the Western part of the country in a town that is very, very, very, very white?

sure NIL is out there, but that's nothing new. they have always had $$$ and paid under the table (same as Bama and most other big programs btw)

Democratic National Convention Dnc GIF by Election 2016

no, really. you don't understand the difference between those two cities?

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1 hour ago, immamac said:

creating insane doom stories about how we are fucked because we have no DT....

...the first week of July.

I concede I don't know recruiting as well as many around here. I do recognize patterns. We are in the weeks of impatient dispare with not much else to focus on. The pattern beyond that is, "hey, it wasn't so bad afterall!" Recruits flip. New talent is discovered.

I see the complaints about recruiting since we go the new coach and can't argue too much with them because it's a short time frame so far. There may be a time to dispare when the weather is a little cooler and the DT bin is still a little hollow. Why rush to that moment here in July?

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1 hour ago, immamac said:

 

This narrative about DT being a huge issue is largely predicated on losing 2 high NFL draft picks that played the primary roles at that position, not because some 18 year olds aren't coming here. There are very good DT on the roster and no one was in here bitching about how shitty the DT looked in the spring game, especially with the new edge rush. As much as the handwringing brings views and whatnot it's time to just wait and assess what we've got going on instead of creating insane doom stories about how we are fucked because we have no DT. 


It’s not a “narrative” that high school recruiting at DT is going poorly. It’s going poorly this year and the past two years. We haven’t signed enough players and it’s glaringly obvious. It doesn’t mean the sky is falling and we cannot recover or patch in the transfer portal but for the third year in a row recruiting at the position has not gone well. You can still remain positive about our roster management without going Orwellian about defensive tackle recruiting. 

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4 hours ago, JFKFC said:

While I never expected Texas to have unlimited funds, I truly thought our annual NIL budget would be superior to the NIL budgets of everyone else to such a degree, that the statements you are making about Oregon over-paying would be made about us. But we wouldn't be over-paying. We would be paying more than everyone else, up and down our roster, and it it would be sustainable, year after year.

I guess this was wishful thinking.

I guess we are at the same NIL level as pretty much everyone else. It will suck if we have to watch Oregon win a title in the next few years (and we don't win one in that time span). This looks like a very real possibility. 

Many of you guys have beat the drum hard enough around here that it has sunk in. There is a top tier of NIL spending and, my fantasies be damned, it looks like we aren't in that top tier. 

Yes our recruiting has been awful

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4 hours ago, JFKFC said:

While I never expected Texas to have unlimited funds, I truly thought our annual NIL budget would be superior to the NIL budgets of everyone else to such a degree, that the statements you are making about Oregon over-paying would be made about us. But we wouldn't be over-paying. We would be paying more than everyone else, up and down our roster, and it it would be sustainable, year after year.

I guess this was wishful thinking.

I guess we are at the same NIL level as pretty much everyone else. It will suck if we have to watch Oregon win a title in the next few years (and we don't win one in that time span). This looks like a very real possibility. 

Many of you guys have beat the drum hard enough around here that it has sunk in. There is a top tier of NIL spending and, my fantasies be damned, it looks like we aren't in that top tier. 

Your other dumb childish takes on this board make a lot more sense now. 

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Texas has been an early mover with having significant NIL funds. However, other schools are trying to get their act together, and as a result the whole environment is very fluid.

I don’t think anyone knows where this will land. The analysis work by the NIL team indicated Texas should be able to be very competitive long-term, but there are half a dozen other programs that are also building significant resources.  I’m unclear on how the situation will stabilize, as opposed to becoming an ever escalating arms race. The recent proposals about school directed NIL funds creates another factor to consider. 

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Suchomel saying Texas is making a move with Lamont Rodgers

Remember when January used to be the recruiting silly season? Not anymore. The month of July is now the timeline when things can and do change in a hurry, and NIL has made things even more volatile and at times, unpredictable.

Here’s some zaniness that you all will actually enjoy …

Multiple Oklahoma sources in recent weeks, including as recently as this week, have thought the Sooners were the overriding favorite to land Mesquite Horn offensive tackle Lamont Rogers. Maybe not, according to multiple sources in Austin.

One trusted source tells Orangebloods that the Longhorns are very much in the race, but it’s not over yet. And this source said it’s actually Missouri that’s UT’s biggest competition.

Aaaand … a second trusted source tells Orangebloods that there’s a feeling that Texas is actually going to land Rogers in what would be a bit of an upset victory.

There’s been on formal announcement for a decision date but we’re hearing this one could get resolved as early as this weekend. As noted above, things can change in a heartbeat (as this story proves) so we’ll continue to monitor things, but the situation with Rogers looks MUCH better than it did last week.

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1 minute ago, BornAndRaised said:

I thought we would only push for Rodgers if Fasusi was fading? Not great, but hopefully that sets us up really well for Brooks. 

I heard Gerry say this morning that Texas leads for Brooks. I remember him previously saying it was a Texas/Georgia battle so that was news to me.

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17 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

The only thing broken in this cycle is approach at DT overall. That doesn’t include Sharma to Oregon. That one is a feature and not a bug. Any idiot using that as a cudgel in an argument should start getting negbombed to clean up the discussion. 

The approach being broken at this one position is what sticks out to me. 

DT recruiting had a high risk profile this year since there aren't a lot of great in state DT options, we replaced our DT coach, and we went big game hunting for national targets. Yet, it didn't appear that Texas had a strategy or mitigations to match this risk. For example, there weren't any backup DT options brought in for June official visits or visits during the spring.

It doesn't make sense why Texas has a bad approach at this one position and not the others.

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