NIL Shenanigans

[Parliament 14,344]

The NIL board looks kinda dead and I hope it's OK to post this here.  If not, the mods can delete and ban.  I get it.  Rules are rules.

This Rashada kid, or at least his sportsdad seems like a bit of a weenie.  But it calls out the suspicion that the money players are promised, by a contract that may not hold up in court, or just the collective's "good word" doesn't exist.  Like the collective promises the money then uses the player's name to go find donors/boosters/sponsors.  Basically a pump and dump (and not the kind I had with South Austin's mom this morning.  She is a...passionate...woman.)

We've wondered how these NIL deals could be so big.  Is it possible the actual money to back up the deals doesn't exist and it's all a house of cards?  Or is this nothing more than one player being too coy?

Nov. 10: Rashada and the Gator Collective agree to terms on an NIL deal exceeding $13 million. Such a massive pledge is thought to dramatically exceed the Gator Collective’s fundraising level, so the deal presumes assistance from Hathcock or other Gator Guard donors. After signing the contract, Rashada decommits from Miami and flips to Florida.

Dec. 7: Rojas sends a termination letter regarding the $13 million contract, according to a program source close to the situation. There are conflicting accounts about why the deal crumbled and who pledged to pay what. Multiple conversations ensue between donors and athletic department members, including Castro-Walker and Stricklin. Some within the administration are only now getting up to speed on what was promised — the program aiming to keep these third-party NIL dealings at arm’s length. Yet these conversations ultimately focus on finding contingencies for keeping the class’ highest-profile recruit in the fold.

Jan. 3: Moments after the Under-Armour game at Camping World Stadium, Rashada poses for pictures with other Florida signees. He lauds Napier’s offense, saying, “I’m meant for the Florida system” and that he has gotten a head start on studying formations. Then he waves to his family in the bleachers. The Rashadas intend to drive from Orlando to Gainesville for move-in day on Jan. 5.

Jan. 11: A program source with knowledge of the entanglement says Rashada won’t be enrolling at Florida. “There’s a lot of panic. It’s like stepping on an ant pile.” There’s also the potential for litigation, hinging upon whether the November contract is binding. The collectives, according to another program source with knowledge of the situation, are offering a lesser deal to Rashada — still above seven figures — to stay at Florida, with the caveat that he release everyone from all previous claims.

https://theathletic.com/4087681/2023/01/13/jaden-rashada-florida-gators-football/

[BurntOrange&White 40,049]

Rashada stupid for believing that, Florida stupid for offering that.

 

/Thread

[Guest]

The entire NIL situation is just weirdly done.

I don't pay attention to a player until they are suited up on the field. Following recruiting is weird to me personally. Offering kids significant sums of money before they even are a part of the program is even weirder.

 

[Zeus 6,176]

I think it was $7M with incentives, they gave him like $4M at the signing, and they didn't understand the specifics.

Either way, shanigins are wild in Florida.

Florida, Florida State, and Miami are always constantly ruthlessly trying to fuck each other over. 

On3 is full of shit, and that Athletic article reads like it was written by a middle schooler. 

Anyway, go Gators

 

 

 

 

 

[closetojumping 62,892]

2 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

The entire NIL situation is just weirdly done.

I don't pay attention to a player until they are suited up on the field. Following recruiting is weird to me personally. Offering kids significant sums of money before they even are a part of the program is even weirder.

 

The only thing actually weird in your post is your take.

Teams have been paying recruits to sign on the dotted line since WW2. OU won 6 national titles with this approach through the 80's. The SEC rose to power from the mid-2000's forward with this approach. Clemson and Oregon became part of the national title picture consistently due to this approach. Jimbo Fisher bought an entire roster at FSU with this approach and is doing the same at ATM. None of that is weird. It hasn't been right, but it hasn't been weird.

Now everyone can do it. Not as "an inducement" to sign at a school, but as a story to tell recruits about what they can look forward to on campus. The only thing "weird" about it at this point is the typical patrician reaction to the concept of paying players from average fans at schools like Texas and Michigan. 

Following recruiting is also not weird if you are a fan of the sport. Talent acquisition, the jimmys and the joes part of the game, is far more important, generally, than the x's and o's part of the game. If that doesn't interest you, cool, but it logically sure as shit matters to a whole bunch of us for whom the sport is religious. 

As to the original subject matter, it sounds like pure idiocy at UF. NIL can be handled cleanly and without controversy, which is how it's being done at Texas and elsewhere. Dumbasses that don't understand how it all works or how other schools are handling it are going to wind up with egg on their faces. Florida got into a bidding war, with, wait for it, ... themselves, with this recruit. Miami never offered the player anything approaching $13M and nor should they have done so. 

Most of the NIL numbers being thrown around on the Internet are inflated by a full magnitude or more.

Poor bastards involved with the process who choose to believe the numbers that recruits and their handlers, or transfers and their handlers, are throwing around about other schools are fucking around and finding out. A lot of that shit will clear out over time as schools and collectives learn to better network with each other about ballpark figures. Idiots like ATM will always randomly show up in a cycle and fuck things up for a recruit or 5, but generally speaking, there's loose collusion and an equilibrium coming, because none of it is sustainable otherwise. 

[Zeus 6,176]

27 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

As to the original subject matter, it sounds like pure idiocy at UF. NIL can be handled cleanly and without controversy, which is how it's being done at Texas and elsewhere. Dumbasses that don't understand how it all works or how other schools are handling it are going to wind up with egg on their faces. Florida got into a bidding war, with, wait for it, ... themselves, with this recruit. Miami never offered the player anything approaching $13M and nor should they have done so. 

Got the inside scoop huh? 

https://www.on3.com/nil/news/jaden-rashada-turned-down-millions-will-still-have-highest-known-nil-deal-for-recruits/

Quote

Multiple sources told On3 Rashada agreed to a NIL deal with Miami mega-booster John Ruiz for $9.5 million.

The problem is dumbass agents and family members negotiating with those agents. 

Quote

But Caspino said Florida’s collective didn’t help the Gator’s chances during the run-up to Rashada’s decision.

“Florida is the most dysfunctional collective in all of college football,” Caspino said. “I plan on steering my clients away from them. From my standpoint, I never ever want to deal with them again. If it weren’t for the collective that’s completely dysfunctional at Florida, he probably would have been there.”

https://247sports.com/Article/Jaden-Rashada-Florida-Gators-what-happened-status-quotes-Harlen-Rashada-202722817/

Father of 5-star QB Jaden Rashada: 'We're working through some things right now with Florida'

 

 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

The only thing actually weird in your post is your take.

Teams have been paying recruits to sign on the dotted line since WW2. OU won 6 national titles with this approach through the 80's. The SEC rose to power from the mid-2000's forward with this approach. Clemson and Oregon became part of the national title picture consistently due to this approach. Jimbo Fisher bought an entire roster at FSU with this approach and is doing the same at ATM. None of that is weird. It hasn't been right, but it hasn't been weird.

Now everyone can do it. Not as "an inducement" to sign at a school, but as a story to tell recruits about what they can look forward to on campus. The only thing "weird" about it at this point is the typical patrician reaction to the concept of paying players from average fans at schools like Texas and Michigan. 

Following recruiting is also not weird if you are a fan of the sport. Talent acquisition, the jimmys and the joes part of the game, is far more important, generally, than the x's and o's part of the game. If that doesn't interest you, cool, but it logically sure as shit matters to a whole bunch of us for whom the sport is religious. 

As to the original subject matter, it sounds like pure idiocy at UF. NIL can be handled cleanly and without controversy, which is how it's being done at Texas and elsewhere. Dumbasses that don't understand how it all works or how other schools are handling it are going to wind up with egg on their faces. Florida got into a bidding war, with, wait for it, ... themselves, with this recruit. Miami never offered the player anything approaching $13M and nor should they have done so. 

Most of the NIL numbers being thrown around on the Internet are inflated by a full magnitude or more.

Poor bastards involved with the process who choose to believe the numbers that recruits and their handlers, or transfers and their handlers, are throwing around about other schools are fucking around and finding out. A lot of that shit will clear out over time as schools and collectives learn to better network with each other about ballpark figures. Idiots like ATM will always randomly show up in a cycle and fuck things up for a recruit or 5, but generally speaking, there's loose collusion and an equilibrium coming, because none of it is sustainable otherwise. 

[closetojumping 62,892]

11 minutes ago, Zeus said:

Got the inside scoop huh? 

https://www.on3.com/nil/news/jaden-rashada-turned-down-millions-will-still-have-highest-known-nil-deal-for-recruits/

The problem is dumbass agents and family members negotiating with those agents. 

https://247sports.com/Article/Jaden-Rashada-Florida-Gators-what-happened-status-quotes-Harlen-Rashada-202722817/

Father of 5-star QB Jaden Rashada: 'We're working through some things right now with Florida'

 

 

Well, there you go. Good article. No one was even close to UF's bids, for no real reason. There are for sure some dysfunctional groups out there. KU, ATM, UF, Tenn, and OU have all done some loony shit so far. 

[closetojumping 62,892]

5 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Non-neanderthals clicking on this thread because, you know, they're interested in reading about the subject and discussing it, seem to be fine with the post though. "Weird."

[DaggerHorns 3,102]

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Rashada stupid for believing that, Florida stupid for offering that.

 

/Thread

I agree with this but with a slight amendment.

I do hope he gets the $13mm and then has the same type of career as Ryan Perrilloux.

[Helobious 9,467]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

The entire NIL situation is just weirdly done.

I don't pay attention to a player until they are suited up on the field. Following recruiting is weird to me personally. Offering kids significant sums of money before they even are a part of the program is even weirder.

 

Im a big baseball fan, and I love following & tracking the careers of prospects in the Yankee minor league system about as much as I do the players on the MLB team. Same for football, it’s very interesting to me to follow a players career trajectory. Don’t see how it’s “weird” to follow the future of what you’re interested in.

[Zeus 6,176]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Well, there you go. Good article. No one was even close to UF's bids, for no real reason. There are for sure some dysfunctional groups out there. KU, ATM, UF, Tenn, and OU have all done some loony shit so far. 

I'm just not following where you think Florida's NIL team is doing something dysfunctional. 

Their deal was being reported as $7M, up to $11M in incentives. 

He was previously signed with Miami for $9.5M.

 

Quote

“Jaden left millions on the table,” said Caspino, who confirmed he represented Rashada in his NIL negotiations with collectives across the country. “Millions. He did not pick the highest offer. He went there because he loves Miami, the coaches, and the opportunity.”

__

“The recent comments by California lawyer Michael Caspino have been brought to our attention,” the statement read. “Gator Collective has never had any communications with Mr. Caspino about Jaden Rashada or any recruits. Rather, Gator Collective has refused to engage in any dialogue with Mr. Caspino on numerous occasions as Gator Collective does not approve of his tactics and has no interest in engaging in activities which violate Florida law and NCAA Interim Policy and may put athletes’ eligibility at risk.”

There's no bidding on players, it's all negotiations, sometimes with agents and lawyers who are trying to get schools in bidding wars to increase their take...

https://www.forwardcounsel.com/blog/forward-counsel-represents-5-star-high-school-athlete-in-nil-deal-worth-8-million

https://www.on3.com/nil/news/michael-caspino-nil-lawyer-orchestrating-deals-reshaping-recruiting/

Quote

“I have most of the five stars and most of the four stars in this country,” Caspino said. “I’m well over 100 kids. Easily. I have a spreadsheet to keep up with it.”

 

[closetojumping 62,892]

15 minutes ago, Zeus said:

I'm just not following where you think Florida's NIL team is doing something dysfunctional. 

Their deal was being reported as $7M, up to $11M in incentives. 

He was previously signed with Miami for $9.5M.

 

There's no bidding on players, it's all negotiations, sometimes with agents and lawyers who are trying to get schools in bidding wars to increase their take...

https://www.forwardcounsel.com/blog/forward-counsel-represents-5-star-high-school-athlete-in-nil-deal-worth-8-million

https://www.on3.com/nil/news/michael-caspino-nil-lawyer-orchestrating-deals-reshaping-recruiting/

 

The mere fact that this is all unfolding in this way indicates dysfunction. Wires got crossed somewhere and now there's public drama and a recruit and his handlers claiming they were promised $13M by the collective at UF. Could that happen to anyone? Sure. But I know that the Texas process is vetted differently at every level in order to avoid this kind of thing. That player's camp is fucked up, and UF had to have known that. I guess I'm confused about how you can't see this story as anything but showcasing dysfunction. 

[Parliament 14,344]

That Caspino guys seems like he sucks.

[Zeus 6,176]

54 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

The mere fact that this is all unfolding in this way indicates dysfunction. Wires got crossed somewhere and now there's public drama and a recruit and his handlers claiming they were promised $13M by the collective at UF. Could that happen to anyone? Sure. But I know that the Texas process is vetted differently at every level in order to avoid this kind of thing. That player's camp is fucked up, and UF had to have known that. I guess I'm confused about how you can't see this story as anything but showcasing dysfunction. 

How does Texas vet guys differently to avoid this thing? Supposedly this lawyer says he has "all" of the 5 stars and "most" of the 4 stars. 

Florida did probably reach to get this kid, since their QB situation is totally fucked, I don't disagree. He signed then didn't show up to play school. 

Florida should go get that LSU QB Walker Howard, let this kid go on to Miami where he was originally "loves Miami, the coaches, and the opportunity". 

Florida is deep into a rebuild with all these transfers they are right behind aggy in portal-outs.

[Cairn Horn88 8,286]

Alabama signs joint venture with Learfield to build 1st of its kind NIL Center

Posted on 1/24/23 at 1:17 pm

35

 

quote:

---

Learfield and Alabama plan to collaborate on the development of the center to provide both a physical home and a staff to educate athletes on NIL opportunities and showcase successful local and national NIL-related relationships.

In renderings provided to Sports Illustrated, the Advantage Center is expected to include a host of NIL-related features: a digital ticker announcing the latest news in athlete deals; a studio with a green screen to provide athletes a place to shoot NIL-related videos; a wall dedicated to Alabama player NIL deals and opportunities; and meeting space to possibly help facilitate brand-and-athlete relationships.
 

---

 

quote:

---

As part of a new 15-year agreement with Alabama that it announced Tuesday, Learfield, in conjunction with the university, is creating a dedicated hub for name, image and likeness (NIL) called The Advantage Center, an epicenter for Crimson Tide athletes’ NIL endeavors that the company believes is a first nationally. The Advantage Center, with a goal of opening this calendar year, will be located inside Bryant Denny Stadium and will double as the agency’s local office.

---

 

[Laxtonto 12,134]

29 minutes ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

Alabama signs joint venture with Learfield to build 1st of its kind NIL Center

Posted on 1/24/23 at 1:17 pm

35

 

quote:

---

Learfield and Alabama plan to collaborate on the development of the center to provide both a physical home and a staff to educate athletes on NIL opportunities and showcase successful local and national NIL-related relationships.

In renderings provided to Sports Illustrated, the Advantage Center is expected to include a host of NIL-related features: a digital ticker announcing the latest news in athlete deals; a studio with a green screen to provide athletes a place to shoot NIL-related videos; a wall dedicated to Alabama player NIL deals and opportunities; and meeting space to possibly help facilitate brand-and-athlete relationships.
 

---

 

quote:

---

As part of a new 15-year agreement with Alabama that it announced Tuesday, Learfield, in conjunction with the university, is creating a dedicated hub for name, image and likeness (NIL) called The Advantage Center, an epicenter for Crimson Tide athletes’ NIL endeavors that the company believes is a first nationally. The Advantage Center, with a goal of opening this calendar year, will be located inside Bryant Denny Stadium and will double as the agency’s local office.

---

 

So they are essentially adding an incubation center type facility on to the Learfield local office and hoping to integrate their college licensing with student licensing for NIL opportunities.

Interesting idea that seems more of a publicity thing than anything substantial initially 

[BurntOrange&White 40,049]

6 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

So they are essentially adding an incubation center type facility on to the Learfield local office and hoping to integrate their college licensing with student licensing for NIL opportunities.

Interesting idea that seems more of a publicity thing than anything substantial initially 

Yeah well our new practice facility will have 2 NIL centers!

[Cairn Horn88 8,286]

Kinda sad that college sports has to build a massive state of the art facility simply to house the staff that's in charge of paying the players and providing them endorsement deals.

Do they really need a new facility to tell recruit's parents they're gonna pay them a million dollars?

 

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

I’m beginning to think I liked the old method of bags and fake jobs better. 

[Trojan Man 429]

30 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

I’m beginning to think I liked the old method of bags and fake jobs better. 

This way is better.  No more NCAA Wheel of Justice nonsense where certain schools and conferences can cheat their ass off and never get more than a slap on the wrist while others have to follow the rules lest the NCAA steamroll their program.  Yes, I am still angry the same organization that determined USC should have known what Reggie Bush's parents were up to hours away from campus in San Diego could somehow never link Cam Newton to his own father and then followed that up with a half game suspension vs Rice after Johnny Football sold autographs.  The first few years of NIL will be bumpy and there will be more horror stories like what happened with Rashada, but I think the market will eventually correct itself as time goes on.  No administration or coaching staff wants to be in the embarrassing position Florida is in right now, they'll get the collectives under control.

Questionable NCAA enforcement aside, it was also dumb that college athletes were the only subset of law-abiding Americans who were not allowed to participate in the almighty free market our society is centered around.  The only truly regrettable course of action was the NCAA fighting tooth and nail against players getting paid every step of the way until the SCOTUS bitch slapped them with a 9-0 decision.  If the NCAA took a more forward thinking position on this issue and acknowledged the sand was shifting underneath them instead of digging in for a losing fight they could have worked together with the schools and players to institute some guard rails and regulation alongside NIL.  But it's too late to do that now because any attempts at putting this genie back in the bottle will end with another judicial bitch slap and the NCAA knows it, so nothing short of collective bargaining will end this Wild West era.

[DFW Horn 6,271]

22 minutes ago, Trojan Man said:

This way is better. 

Well, it should be for USC and Texas. At least, it's proven to be thus far.

[Trojan Man 429]

7 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

Well, it should be for USC and Texas. At least, it's proven to be thus far.

Agreed.  Potential endorsement dollars for Tuscaloosa and Knoxville don't hold a candle to what LA and Austin can offer.  Bryce Young wasn't getting NASCAR honorary starter deals in his own stadium like Caleb Williams is in a couple weeks.  But I think that's a bigger boost for skill player recruiting than linemen recruiting.  The glamour position guys who excel at schools in big markets will have lots of deals and money thrown at them.  It will be harder for linemen to get noticed and collectives need to fill in that gap, even for the big market schools.

[redswingline 1,068]

5 hours ago, Trojan Man said:

This way is better.  No more NCAA Wheel of Justice nonsense where certain schools and conferences can cheat their ass off and never get more than a slap on the wrist while others have to follow the rules lest the NCAA steamroll their program.  Yes, I am still angry the same organization that determined USC should have known what Reggie Bush's parents were up to hours away from campus in San Diego could somehow never link Cam Newton to his own father and then followed that up with a half game suspension vs Rice after Johnny Football sold autographs.  The first few years of NIL will be bumpy and there will be more horror stories like what happened with Rashada, but I think the market will eventually correct itself as time goes on.  No administration or coaching staff wants to be in the embarrassing position Florida is in right now, they'll get the collectives under control.

Questionable NCAA enforcement aside, it was also dumb that college athletes were the only subset of law-abiding Americans who were not allowed to participate in the almighty free market our society is centered around.  The only truly regrettable course of action was the NCAA fighting tooth and nail against players getting paid every step of the way until the SCOTUS bitch slapped them with a 9-0 decision.  If the NCAA took a more forward thinking position on this issue and acknowledged the sand was shifting underneath them instead of digging in for a losing fight they could have worked together with the schools and players to institute some guard rails and regulation alongside NIL.  But it's too late to do that now because any attempts at putting this genie back in the bottle will end with another judicial bitch slap and the NCAA knows it, so nothing short of collective bargaining will end this Wild West era.

I find your ideas fascinating and would like to subscribe to your newsletter

[Hagbard Celine 10,938]

alumni ventures video on NIL

https://www.av.vc/blog/venture-deep-dives-nil?utm_campaign=deep-dives&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=252876654&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_-zoL-9ANimsgLttei1Tmz0eAlxVqqXheEfageGKjT1glcQQj_1RIuUSxqpGYl-DK4cRDiXVeZHUXRExT44G2vLYPBLJVh1o_b7v-K3kBY8Xe2_sI&utm_content=april&utm_source=hubspot#video