It cost over 30 million to sign the nation's number one recruiting class

[Coug1990]

It is estimated that Texas A&M and it's supporters have put up over $30 million in NIL deals. The staff discusses with the donors, then the donors go out and make deals with the recruits.

Texas A&M Boosters Spent Unfathomable Amount Of Money To Land No. 1 Recruiting Class, Per Report

Getty Image / iStockphoto Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies signed one of the best recruiting classes of all-time this year. To do so,

brobible.com

 

[triscuit one]

So sad.

 

[79COUG]

Speechless

 

[425cougfan]

Seriously, people are surprised by this? The only thing I'm surprised about is that, so far, we only have seen reports of relatively small number of schemes like Miami's, where broad sets of players get paid. Instead, A&M's boosters, and presumably those of many other serious schools, instead are keeping it direct and old-school with blatant, direct pay-to-play (or, more accurately, sign).

 

[FnuLnu]

If NIL was around 5 years ago, wonder how much the Vols would've overpaid Guarantano?

 

[Coug90]

Gross.

On the flip side Brian Bozworth got paid $500 a day in the mid 80s for his “job”. It’s sad they made all of this shit legal but it’s really been going on forever.

 

[Wasichus]

Gross.

On the flip side Brian Bozworth got paid $500 a day in the mid 80s for his “job”. It’s sad they made all of this shit legal but it’s really been going on forever.

I wonder how much he makes now, playing the sheriff on the Dr Pepper commercials?

 

[kougkurt]

I wonder how much he makes now, playing the sheriff on the Dr Pepper commercials?

Didn’t know that was Boz

 

[Coug90]

I wonder how much he makes now, playing the sheriff on the Dr Pepper commercials?

Probably gets paid pretty well. He’s not a bad actor. Shoulda got an Oscar for Stone Cold!

 

[roses04]

Over 1 million a player assuming they signed 25. I don't have a problem with players making money off of their likeness. However a million before you even step on the field? This is going to be a problem unless more guidelines and rules are put in place, I always felt this had the potential to get out of hand. This will be come like professional Football (aka soccer) in Europe. There is a premier league for elite teams, and another league for the rest. If this continues Power 5 will be a thing of the past. Their will be a "power 24-40 something, of teams with boat loads of money, and then there will be the rest. If we thought facilities was an arms race, we haven't seen anything yet.

 

[Coug90]

Over 1 million a player assuming they signed 25. I don't have a problem with players making money off of their likeness. However a million before you even step on the field? This is going to be a problem unless more guidelines and rules are put in place, I always felt this had the potential to get out of hand. This will be come like professional Football (aka soccer) in Europe. There is a premier league for elite teams, and another league for the rest. If this continues Power 5 will be a thing of the past. Their will be a "power 24-40 something, of teams with boat loads of money, and then there will be the rest. If we thought facilities was an arms race, we haven't seen anything yet.

It does make it even sadder when they do this and still get beat by schools that can’t. I think there’s an entitlement tradeoff that’s not good for the overall team that will hurt some of these programs who won’t achieve the success that they tried to buy.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

It does make it even sadder when they do this and still get beat by schools that can’t. I think there’s an entitlement tradeoff that’s not good for the overall team that will hurt some of these programs who won’t achieve the success that they tried to buy.

The need for evaluation of a recruit does not change....only the cost of poor judgement changes (goes way, way up). The next step will be for kids to approach the individual recruiting gurus for a better star rating, with an offer to split the NIL proceeds after they get their deal. May already be happening. Gonna taint the whole system.

 

[roses04]

Money Changes Everything

 

[wazzucougs96]

This isn't sustainable. These rich people will soon figure out they are wasting money and the well will dry up.

 

[chipdouglas]

Bluebloods won't like this but I'm ready to cap CFB funding from all sources.

• Fix total coaching staff pay and spread it around how you like, but everyone has the same amount.
• Ditto for total recruiting budget, and add bounties for ID'ing cheaters of any budgetary kind
• Make player/coach turnover more of a mutual PITA to ensure continuity
• Enforce (not just legislate) academic minimums with 3rd party proctored testing (trust but verify)
• Ban sitting out for scholarship players for ANY game. If you're on schollie/NIL, you're taking a check

This would reduce the overall product, but what we have today is no longer football in the old sense, it's the Teenage NFL Feeder League, and if you're not Top 10 by funding you're DOA. Nobody is trading on school spirit or legacy or regional loyalty anymore. UW just lost its receivers coach to true archrival Oregon and may be losing receivers.

I'm a UGA grad too but I understand why the entire CFB world has already written off yet another SEC-heavy playoff: it's boring. Even I get tired of seeing the same 5-8 teams year after year.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Is itnpossible that the $25-30MM is an initial trust set up to fund NIL deals now and in the future? Given that Texas only paid their OL $50k, why would it make sense that A&M pledged over $1MM to each player? And they'd have to come up with another $25-30MM every year here on out if that was the case.

Seems like a trust is the more likely scenario.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

This isn't sustainable. These rich people will soon figure out they are wasting money and the well will dry up.

That was my thought as well. Those A&M donors are going to be pissed when they go 8-4 again and again.

 

[FnuLnu]

This isn't sustainable. These rich people will soon figure out they are wasting money and the well will dry up.

Doubtful on second sentence.

The oligarchs and rich folks in Texas like sports. The ones in the PNW (save Phil Knight) don't.

They waste their money on boats, real estate, private schools. Texas has football culture to waste money

Many of the PNW oligarchs came here for lower taxes (like Texas) but consider sports an outlet for the lower classes (who they despise).

Wayback machine on paying players:
The UW was paying Hugh McElhenny and his wife $10k a year under the table in the early 1950s (about $115k today) which is higher than what he later signed for with the 49ers in the NFL.

But the Tyee Club's Pay To Play scheme in the 1950s later fell apart when they started paying bad players and you had them "revolt" against a coach they didn't like John Cherberg (future Lt Governor) who just a crappy football coach with stick up his rear. Cherberg snitched when he got fired (not over the morality of it, but spite - didn't hurt his campaign for Lt Governor though).

Even with NIL, pretty likely there will be something to snitch on or a way to through a monkey wrench when the high cost of mediocrity doesn't meet expectations

Wouldn't be surprised there are point shaving scandals popping up again - just like in 50s and 60s.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

Doubtful on second sentence.

The oligarchs and rich folks in Texas like sports. The ones in the PNW (save Phil Knight) don't.

They waste their money on boats, real estate, private schools. Texas has football culture to waste money

Many of the PNW oligarchs came here for lower taxes (like Texas) but consider sports an outlet for the lower classes (who they despise).

Wayback machine on paying players:
The UW was paying Hugh McElhenny and his wife $10k a year under the table in the early 1950s (about $115k today) which is higher than what he later signed for with the 49ers in the NFL.

But the Tyee Club's Pay To Play scheme in the 1950s later fell apart when they started paying bad players and you had them "revolt" against a coach they didn't like John Cherberg (future Lt Governor) who just a crappy football coach with stick up his rear. Cherberg snitched when he got fired (not over the morality of it, but spite - didn't hurt his campaign for Lt Governor though).

Even with NIL, pretty likely there will be something to snitch on or a way to through a monkey wrench when the high cost of mediocrity doesn't meet expectations

Wouldn't be surprised there are point shaving scandals popping up again - just like in 50s and 60s.

Interesting last line. "Wouldn't be surprised there are point shaving scandals popping up again - just like in 50s and 60s." Another thing that I had not considered. But with it now legal for outside interests to pay players, the idea that they might miss a few shots in hoops or fail to get that first down at the end that would lead to covering the spread is not at all far-fetched. Of course, that has never been completely gone, but legal direct payment to players by people outside of football certainly simplifies the process of setting up a point shaving scheme.

 

[CougEd]

It is estimated that Texas A&M and it's supporters have put up over $30 million in NIL deals. The staff discusses with the donors, then the donors go out and make deals with the recruits.

Texas A&M Boosters Spent Unfathomable Amount Of Money To Land No. 1 Recruiting Class, Per Report

Getty Image / iStockphoto Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies signed one of the best recruiting classes of all-time this year. To do so,

brobible.com

They better win… 9-3 is a losing season. They better be in a championship game .

 

[roses04]

This should free up some cap space to sign a few more:

Former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada announced Thursday he is committing to Auburn, after entering the transfer portal in December. Calzada tallied 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games as a sophomore in 2021.

 

[COUGinNCW]

Interesting last line. "Wouldn't be surprised there are point shaving scandals popping up again - just like in 50s and 60s." Another thing that I had not considered. But with it now legal for outside interests to pay players, the idea that they might miss a few shots in hoops or fail to get that first down at the end that would lead to covering the spread is not at all far-fetched. Of course, that has never been completely gone, but legal direct payment to players by people outside of football certainly simplifies the process of setting up a point shaving scheme.

Point shaving is a basketball thing, not football unless you got the QB. Too many players involved. The QBs are getting paid now so much less reason to take a bribe.

 

[FnuLnu]

Point shaving is a basketball thing, not football unless you got the QB. Too many players involved. The QBs are getting paid now so much less reason to take a bribe.

Back up line man (see 2021 Sun Bowl), punter, long snapper, kicker and of course referees.

Point shaving and fixing scams often fail because one of the parties gets too greedy and another party snitches after the fact. But at the time of the fix, they are rarely noticed.

 

[Coug90]

Is itnpossible that the $25-30MM is an initial trust set up to fund NIL deals now and in the future? Given that Texas only paid their OL $50k, why would it make sense that A&M pledged over $1MM to each player? And they'd have to come up with another $25-30MM every year here on out if that was the case.

Seems like a trust is the more likely scenario.

I’m sure they consider it an initial investment. You know, get them into the CFP then everyone will want to go there and they are the new Bama. Doesn’t work that way though, they will have a bunch of premadonnas the portal will backfire on them and they will be shit. I don’t like this new environment but few schools will end up getting what they pay for. It can work in roundball where a couple of stars can take you all the way but football is a different beast.

 

[acgcoug]

Free College and other perks, now also getting paid. All while millions of regular, good students, honor roll students, etc get buried in a massive amount of college debt. Our education system is so effed up.

This is indeed gross.

I'm not even that old, but let's just go back to this and put the money into education. Screw this entitled system.

 

[dgibbons]

Seriously, people are surprised by this? The only thing I'm surprised about is that, so far, we only have seen reports of relatively small number of schemes like Miami's, where broad sets of players get paid. Instead, A&M's boosters, and presumably those of many other serious schools, instead are keeping it direct and old-school with blatant, direct pay-to-play (or, more accurately, sign).

I suspect some programs and boosters consider the NIL offers proprietary, confidential information.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

It is estimated that Texas A&M and it's supporters have put up over $30 million in NIL deals. The staff discusses with the donors, then the donors go out and make deals with the recruits.

Texas A&M Boosters Spent Unfathomable Amount Of Money To Land No. 1 Recruiting Class, Per Report

Getty Image / iStockphoto Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies signed one of the best recruiting classes of all-time this year. To do so,

brobible.com

They go BIG in Texas.

Welcome to our new world.

College ball is now NFL lite.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

Free College and other perks, now also getting paid. All while millions of regular, good students, honor roll students, etc get buried in a massive amount of college debt. Our education system is so effed up.

This is indeed gross.

I'm not even that old, but let's just go back to this and put the money into education. Screw this entitled system.

We all created this monster.

 

[Observer11]

We all created this monster.

It's not just college athletics.

 

[acgcoug]

We all created this monster.

True, which is why I'm wasting far less time on it now.