What’s to stop Larry Ellison from giving Michigan $1 Billion+ in Nil and ruining College Football?
- Thread starter PSUWrestlingFanSince2011
- Start date
You can see a hit in team quality in a squad like UGA already. Sure, they may win it all still, but they don't look nothing like the straight killers who won 2 titles back to back.
Why doesn't every pro athlete excel at their game being paid big contracts? Because having money can soften your drive.
I'm sure many kids across the country were paid well under the table for decades, but a used Dodge Charger and a couple grand is nothing compared to what they can openly get now. The NFL is still the goal, but some are getting NFL money without NFL caliber work ethic or just because they might be great.
Where's Beano at to hype Underwood when you need him? Maybe Portnoy can say "2 Heisman's and 3 nattys."
Why doesn't every pro athlete excel at their game being paid big contracts? Because having money can soften your drive.
I'm sure many kids across the country were paid well under the table for decades, but a used Dodge Charger and a couple grand is nothing compared to what they can openly get now. The NFL is still the goal, but some are getting NFL money without NFL caliber work ethic or just because they might be great.
Where's Beano at to hype Underwood when you need him? Maybe Portnoy can say "2 Heisman's and 3 nattys."
He's all in already.... So to your question, nothing. The NCAA was short sighted yet again.
Michigan Insider Reveals Sherrone Moore’s $50 Million NIL Masterplan With Bryce Underwood as the Catalyst
https://www.essentiallysports.com/n...terplan-with-bryce-underwood-as-the-catalyst/
According to Michigan Insider James T. Yoder, Michigan’s NIL strategy isn’t just bold and innovative—it’s borderline diabolical. Starting in 2025, the Wolverines are expected to have a $50 million NIL chest. You heard it right! While other programs are figuring out how to split $20 million among all sports, Michigan plans to cash in half of theirs to football alone. And here’s the kicker part for you: every player on the team will pocket at least $150k annually, despite the number of stars besides their name.
Ellison’s influence is more than financial—it’s personal. Apparently, his partner, a Michigan alum, has a serious grudge against Ohio State and a soft spot for Rose Bowl victories. So, naturally, it does make sense. But this man has gone to extreme heights on this. His deep pocket not only locked down Bryce Underwood but also paved a new path for Michigan to potentially bag 3 or 4 more 5-star recruits by signing day. The strange irony is that every top program is busy with securing a playoff spot or grieving about missing the playoff (lol Alabama), while all this is taking place in bright, broad daylight.
These mofos cheated their way into a national championship and now have a huge NIL war chest to buy another national championship.
Wandering Spectator
Well-Known Member
Could it be that in a weird way, NIL is helping with parity.
Teams will need to be very careful with their budget - no matter how big it is.
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Teams will need to be very careful with their budget - no matter how big it is.
🤔
Franklin needs to try to get Penn State on that payroll
I’m with the 2nd P. Some kids played harder when the NFL was the payday. Add roster restrictions, open transfers and chips on shoulders, and not convinced payroll wins NCAA championships. You have to be competitive in NIL, but I’m not convinced $10m players buys championships. The chip on the shoulder, feel under appreciated 3-4 star making far less probably plays harder.
Will prob be proven wrong.
Will prob be proven wrong.
If they step on enough toes, there will be a backlash and some governing body/congress will step in. You can only have this much money flying around for so long until the regulation hammer comes down.
If you can’t beat them, join them
If you can’t join them, regulate them
When I worked on Capitol Hill I used to attend the yearly SEC Capitol Kickoff parties. There were more Senators and Reps there than you’d see in one place outside of an Inaugural Ball. That voting bloc is not going to allow a program like Michigan or Oregon to run college football by dint of having deeper pockets.
If you can’t beat them, join them
If you can’t join them, regulate them
When I worked on Capitol Hill I used to attend the yearly SEC Capitol Kickoff parties. There were more Senators and Reps there than you’d see in one place outside of an Inaugural Ball. That voting bloc is not going to allow a program like Michigan or Oregon to run college football by dint of having deeper pockets.
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How about a tariff on NIL?
I think we invade Michigan and throw their whole team and fan base into SuperMax in Florence, CO
This is ridiculous and you need some kind of guidelines. There is a salary cap in the NFL for a reason.
In the present scenario nothing stops him. Oregon has Phil Knight (NIke) and UM appears to have Ellison. Both are multibillionaires. The "B2G" could quickly become Oregon and Michigan.
As soon as they started paying college players, "College Football", was ruined. Soon it will break away from the NCAA. I think that's why many fought for years not to pay the players ....... it's over.
And that fighting is what lead to the system we had now...they should have always been paid.
I agree completely. It’s no doubt a shell of its former self. Honestly I am going to sit back and enjoy the rest of this season because honestly PSU future doesn’t look bright to me. Its not a slow bleed it’s a gusher and PSU is going to get blown past
The next big realignment will be the “haves” and the “have nots.”
The “have nots” who can’t complete with the ultra wealthy will form their own conference or conferences with NIL caps.
The big question is how many schools will remain in the “haves” group. How many billionaires have the interest in throwing huge $$$ at college kids? Michigan is aiming for $50 million today. How long before the goal is $100 million?
I have no clue how many schools can survive in that atmosphere. If it’s 10-20, they can combine, get a TV contract and remain relevant. But if it’s single digits and the “have nots” refuse to schedule them, do they remain relevant?
The “have nots” who can’t complete with the ultra wealthy will form their own conference or conferences with NIL caps.
The big question is how many schools will remain in the “haves” group. How many billionaires have the interest in throwing huge $$$ at college kids? Michigan is aiming for $50 million today. How long before the goal is $100 million?
I have no clue how many schools can survive in that atmosphere. If it’s 10-20, they can combine, get a TV contract and remain relevant. But if it’s single digits and the “have nots” refuse to schedule them, do they remain relevant?
The key is determining which kids are driven by the money and which are driven to be the best. You'll still need money to consistently have the players but it's probably similar to how it's always been. Some will put in the work while others won't.
With this Underwood kid, it now appears that we've entered into guaranteed contracts for multiple years which is bad precedent. It doesn't work well for many NFL guys, so how's it going to work for 17 year olds?
With this Underwood kid, it now appears that we've entered into guaranteed contracts for multiple years which is bad precedent. It doesn't work well for many NFL guys, so how's it going to work for 17 year olds?
I agree that the players should always have been paid based upon what they are worth. However, I also believe there should be some form of regulation for the NIL money. I do not understand the system well enough to say who would regulate it but I believe one of the regulations should be that the payment of NIL money cannot be contingent upon which team they play for. Alternatively, there should be a cap on the portion of the NIL money that is contingent upon which team he plays for.
Right now, the driving force behind the payment of NIL money is to make a specific college football program better. The return on investment is very secondary to which school the player chooses. As a result, the player receiving the money is not being paid based upon what he is worth from a business standpoint, it is the school he is choosing that is triggering the money he is receiving. The player is being paid by superfans with money to burn who want specific programs to succeed. The current system is resulting in unproven high school stars like Underwood signing $10 million NIL contracts that would make much more recognizable NFL stars blush. I do not think that was the intent when the players were given the right to earn NIL money.
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This years Dylan Raiola. He may become great but right now he is a rather pedestrian statue in the pocket
I like your logic--I just don't know how they regulate that.
Even with the NFL--if you're in a big market you have more opportunity for more NIL money. Maybe the NHL is a better example. If you put Crosby or MacKinnon in NY or LA they'll make more for that reason.
It's definitely the "pay to play" aspect that's problematic because is anyone using their name, image or likeness with these payments? Or are they just being paid to play? I believe Fleming did a commercial for his truck. That's fair
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The "big market" that results in more NIL money is based upon pure business, not which team you are supporting. I have no problem with the pure market driving the payments, but there is no pure business reason for being paid more NIL money to play in Ann Arbor, Michigan rather than State College, PA. The regulations should be focused on making the payment of NIL money based upon the return on NIL inventstment, not compensation for playing for a specific team.
If a person feels connected to a university such that they are willing to put $50 million towards the university or even the university's athletic program, then they should be encouraged to donate to the university and allow the university to decide how to best spend the money. What is happening right now is that High School students are being able to earn significant compensation not based solely upon their own merit, but rather based upon a potential donor's afinity to a specific university. They are literally taking monies that would otherwise potentially be donated to the university or its athletic department and personally profiting from it. It is a terrible system.
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The schools are the hindrance to regulation because they’ve been told by every court that you have to make the players employees to regulate it at all.
They do not want to make the players employees and never will.
If that is what is keeping the Universities from being able to regulate NIL payments, then I think they need to reconsider. The current system is a have / have not system based purely on how many billionaires each school has that are willing to pay players play which will ultimately lead to a big gap in talent amonst college football teams. Also, in the case of Ellison, Michigan just lost a potential $50 million donation to the University to its football players.
Michigan to a smaller extent also has Dave Portnoy who although not close to Ellison in wealth.....is ponying up money for U of M. Interesting that PSU got a big chunk of money donated for the stadium.....the better investment may be to the players who will then generate money for the stadium. Great Stadium....poor players, no income for PSU.
I’ve heard (heard, stressed word of mouth heard) that Penn State’s biggest candidates (as donors) that can put together something similar to this have told the collective that they’ll be happy to give this kind of money. The condition is they want the Paterno statue back up.
I agree with you. Underwood is from Michigan so it makes sense. But when you look at a kid like Ewers, he took the money for a year and then went back home to TX. At some point, people paying into NIL will be looking for a return on their investment. I am not sold on UM's coaching staff and you need to build a team around a QB. We'll see how this works out.
Market for college players is really prestige. Michigan just won a title. Could see there being a difference.
I disagree with the second statement. If I'm giving donating 50M I'm deciding how it will be used. For example, I wouldn't give Penn State money for renovations to Beaver Stadium but if used for NIL I would.
Assuming they have the wealthiest alumni, the Ivy league could become the powerhouse of college football.
Logical prediction, but unlikely. Ivy league schools care too much about academics. Powerhouse programs don't. The kids are too busy with football.
Because they never got punished the first time.
All PSU would have to do is give Ellison an honorary PhD. Maybe in ethics or something.
He's either the lyrical "a fool and his money...", or he's intentionally trying to break the system. Neither would surprise me.
IMO, this will break the system. I have no idea how the "build back better" crowd will fix things. I just know that the next iteration will be worse.
Free education, books, room and board, T & A is payment. 99.9% of students have to pay. Many don't take it for what it's worth. Most 17-22 year old kids would jump at a free education. I'm not sure PSU will ever be able to compete based on the current guidelines?
Fixed it for you.
Agree..but to what extent ? Also curious how these deals are structured.. for instance what if a player gets hurt ? Or somehow becomes a bust ? Can they stop paying him ? Would love to see some massive lawsuit eventually filed by a player who gets his NIL money pulled for some reason and it leaves a stain on this whole debacle…a $50 million dollar war chest has to have schools looking at figuring how to manage this..and I always thought.. of all the schools in D1.. that USC would be the one school who would clearly pull away from all others considering their alumni base..
And that's absolutely nothing compared to what they bring in.
These aren't your average 17-22 year olds
They already have a marketable skill
We've seen in MLB that the teams that spend aren't always the ones that win and this is going to be more difficult determining what 17-18 year old deserve to be paid.
