Bama...NIL....Random Thoughts

[AUTailgatingRules]

How can we afford to pony up for NIL when they are charging $10,000/year for a tailgate tent?  Where to put our money???

[bgreene]

Five, maybe ten years or less?  We will be what we’ve always denied and fought not to be- irrelevant.  A second tier program.  It would not surprise me to see the top 15-20 teams abandon the NCAA to establish a super conference.   If that happens AU won’t be among the chosen few. 

And so it has begun...

https://twitter.com/247Sports/status/1521946511105576965

[wesfau2]

And so it has begun...

https://twitter.com/247Sports/status/1521946511105576965

Are...you citing a blog preseason poll (in early May) to support Kaos's position that Auburn will be left out of any prospective "super leagues"????

I feel like my head might explode.

[Snaggletiger]

Are...you citing a blog preseason poll (in early May) to support Kaos's position that Auburn will be left out of any prospective "super leagues"????

I feel like my head might explode.

We ain't gettin' the snub on any Super Conference.  Here's a long copy/pasta from 247 written this past December.  Just scroll to the good parts.


From overwhelming fan support to expansive media contracts and conference revenue sharing, college football is big business and some programs are expected to recover in record-setting financial fashion following a return to normalcy this season. With attendance numbers beginning to strengthen again, the programs in this list saw substantially-improved revenue figures this fall, but that data isn't available just yet.

Using financial information from Forbes, GOBankingRates ranked the top 25 teams based on their three-year average revenue prior to the start of the 2021 season. A running total of each program's "three-year average profit" was also used for reference.

The pandemic-infused season of 2020 altered some of these numbers and those will be reflected when the next grouping of fiscal averages are released spring 2022.

Here's a look at college football's most valuable programs entering the 2022 season.



25. Clemson Tigers
Estimated annual value: $77 million

With a three-year profit average of $27 million according to the GoBankingRates study, Clemson football is worth more now than it ever has been previously because of Dabo Swinney and the program's two national championships in recent years. Will the Tigers sustain their success after losing veteran coordinators Brent Venables and Tony Elliott to head coaching jobs this month? Clemson will also have a new athletic director heading into the offseason.

24. Ole Miss Rebels
Estimated annual value: $84 million

As long as the Rebels are able to keep Lane Kiffin as their head coach, this number should soar in the coming years. Ole Miss heads to the Sugar Bowl this season after winning 10 games, the most ever during the regular season at the program.

23. Wisconsin Badgers
Estimated annual value: $86 million

Like all major college football programs, Wisconsin's updated numbers over a three-year average (when those are available in 2022) will be lower thanks to the pandemic and its effect on revenue. The Badgers' athletic department reportedly cut $26 million in expenses during the past fiscal, a number likely bigger at other programs.

22. Michigan State Spartans
Estimated annual value: $87 million

Mel Tucker and the Spartans agreed to a 10-year, $95 million contract extension this season after a 10-2 finish and trip to the New Year's Six, a banner year at Michigan State who is investing in its future with the sizable deal.

21. Iowa Hawkeyes
Estimated annual value: $89 million

One of several Big Ten football programs in the top 25 nationally, Iowa keeps printing money thanks to success and a hungry fanbase. The Hawkeyes finished one win shy of a conference championship this season under veteran Kirk Ferentz.

20. Nebraska Huskers
Estimated annual value: $91 million

Following a staff overhaul, Scott Frost accepted a salary reduction for 2022 earlier this season on a restructured deal. Despite four-consecutive losing seasons under his watch, Nebraska fans have not wavered in their support as one of college football's most loyal groups.

19. Washington Huskies
Estimated annual value: $92 million

Washington hopes the hire of Kalen DeBoer brings instant credibility to a program that has fallen on hard times since Chris Petersen's departure. The contract is for five years and worth up to $16.5 million before incentives kick in based on DeBoer's level of success. Seems affordable compared to other signings this cycle, doesn't?

18. USC Trojans
Estimated annual value: $93 million

Keep this number in mind and let's revisit five years down the road when new coach Lincoln Riley has the Trojans inside the top five nationally as a perennial championship contender. USC won this season's coaching carousel after coaxing Riley away from Oklahoma with a record contract.

17. Arkansas Razorbacks
Estimated annual value: $95 million

This number will continue to rise under the direction of Sam Pittman, who took a dormant SEC program and pushed the Razorbacks to eight wins in Year 2. An Outback Bowl win would go a long way in continuing this team's momentum into 2022 and create quite the fanfare for next season.

16. South Carolina Gamecocks
Estimated annual value: $95 million

The end of the Will Muschamp era is 2020 resulted in a sizable buyout, but the Gamecocks believe they've got the right guy in charge now with Shane Beamer taking over. Beamer finished 6-6 in his first season at a program that was in the SEC cellar, so it's obvious South Carolina is moving in a positive direction.


T-15. Florida State Seminoles
Estimated annual value: $96 million

FSU felt it had to make a change in leadership in 2019 when the Seminoles departed ways with Willie Taggart before landing Memphis coach Mike Norvell. A pandemic-infused campaign ensued, but there was hope entering a full season in 2021 that progress would be noticeable. FSU missed out on bowl season with a loss to Florida, but the program is on solid footing, or at least better than it was two years ago.

T-15. Oregon Ducks
Estimated annual value: $96 million

With Nike founder Phil Knight as the program's biggest donor is making sure to fill its current coaching vacancy following Mario Cristobal's departure to Miami with the right choice. The Ducks have one of college football's most recognizable brands and is trying to get back to its heightened level of success sustained under Chip Kelly's reign.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions
Estimated annual value: $104 million

Like other major programs who have invested in their head coach, James Franklin is currently embarking on a new, 10-year deal with the Nittany Lions. It's clear the power brass in Happy Valley believe in Franklin and don't want to see him go elsewhere in the future.

12. Tennessee Volunteers
Estimated annual value: $113 million

Tennessee is energized with the arrival of coach Josh Heupel and will try and end its season with a win in Nashville against Purdue in the Music City Bowl. Positive momentum is all any program could ask for entering 2022 and still recovering from revenue losses during the 2020 season.

11. LSU Tigers
Estimated annual value:  $114 million

LSU is banking on new coach Brian Kelly to challenge for championships after bringing him over from Notre Dame for a sizable fee. Revenue numbers are a three-year stretch are widely-skewed for the Tigers, given their perfect season in 2019 that was followed by two disappointing campaigns in the middle of a pandemic.


T-10. Auburn Tigers
Estimated annual value: $117 million

Per Auburn Undercover, Auburn and the other 13 colleges in the SEC received a $23 million supplement from the league to help with the finances occurred dealing with lost revenues as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Auburn was limited to 20 percent capacity for home football games last season, the major revenue-producing sport. Additionally, the league’s stringent testing requirements added expenses for programs in all sports.

T-10. Florida Gators
Estimated annual value: $117 million

Can the Gators get back to being an annual title contender at an Urban Meyer-like level? Those are the expectations in Gainesville and is precisely why Florida moved on from Dan Mullen and his buyout in November in favor of Louisiana's Billy Napier. Florida has shifted recent focus to facility improvements too, a big step in becoming a mainstay again inside the top 10.

8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Estimated annual value: $120 million

Notre Dame enters an era of somewhat uncertainly in 2022 with 35-year-old defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman taking over as a first-time head coach, this coming after Brian Kelly unexpectedly left for LSU without notice. Fans are energized and ready to support Freeman, but like all new coaches, the wins must come early.

7. Georgia Bulldogs
Estimated annual value: $125 million

No SEC program has made a bigger statement than Georgia this season, but the Bulldogs could not finish the deal in Atlanta against Alabama. However, the quest for the program's first national championship since 1980 is still in play for Kirby Smart's team. The nation's most consistent recruiter alongside Alabama, Georgia is built to last under Smart, but needs to find a way to win those showdown games against the Crimson Tide.


6. OKLAHOMA SOONERS

Estimated annual value: $129 million

There's a season Brent Venables didn't take the Auburn job in 2020 and waited for a prime opportunity at blueblood Oklahoma. This program is already built to win big and despite losing coach Lincoln Riley to USC this month, should not miss a beat in terms of annual revenue with the former Clemson defensive coordinator and Sooners assistant coming back to lead. The promise of SEC sizable growth in the coming years as a new entry into the nation's superleague will only expand Oklahoma's footprint.


5. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Estimated annual value: $132 million

Ohio State sells itself, but you have to think many were worried that losing Urban Meyer a couple years ago may have resulted in a diminished placement within the Big Ten, but the opposite has happened. Ohio State has continued its impressive play as an annual title contender under Ryan Day and the 2021 season is the first time in five years the Buckeyes did not play for a Big Ten Championship. Ohio State changed defensive coordinators to make sure two regular-season losses don't show up against next fall.


4. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Estimated annual value: $134 million

There doesn't seem to be a shut-off switch for the SEC's annual money-printer, not with Nick Saban signed through 2028 and the national championship continuing to go through Tuscaloosa every year. Alabama won the national title during the abbreviated 2020 campaign and has a chance to win another this season after knocking off Georgia for the league title earlier this month. Sustained success is one of the toughest challenges in sports and somehow, the Crimson Tide have managed to be the "it" program for more than a decade without a hiccup.


3. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Estimated annual value: $139 million

If Michigan wins the national championship this season, there's a chance the Wolverines could be in the No. 2 or top spot by the time revenue figures are updated sometime after the next fiscal year. Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines captured the program's first Big Ten title in more than a decade, have sold-out the Big House every home game during an era in which ranked teams are finding it increasingly more difficult to fill venues weekly and now have seen their star his supernova status with a playoff trip. No program nationally has done more for its bottom line than the Wolverines in 2021.


T-1. TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Estimated annual value: $147 million

Ten years and $75 million. That's what deep-pocketed Texas A&M supporters were willing to pay Jimbo Fisher a couple of years ago to leave Florida State for the Aggies and bring a title to College Station, Texas. It hasn't happened yet, but the Aggies are in a better spot as an annual contender and have made a divot in SEC recruiting. Losing Mike Elko to Duke leaves a substantial hole on Fisher's staff with the Early Signing Period approaching. Texas A&M is in a great place financially, even post pandemic, and resources being earmarked for football is a great sign for Fisher and his staff.


T-1. TEXAS LONGHORNS

Estimated annual value: $147 million

Football is everything in Texas, evidenced by the two programs in this list both being from the Lonestar State. The Longhorns exhausted resources and put everything they had into Steve Sarkisian and a new coaching regime this season and it still resulted in a six-game losing skid at one point, the longest drought for Texas since the 1950s. It got worse before it got better and forward process must be shown in 2022 for the revenue giant in Austin.

[wesfau2]

This is the way.

[Kaos]

This is the way.

[bgreene]

Are...you citing a blog preseason poll (in early May) to support Kaos's position that Auburn will be left out of any prospective "super leagues"????

I feel like my head might explode.

So now you know how the rest of us feel when you get on your liberal keyboard and spit your gibberish opinions on the rest of us.

This "blog preseason poll (in early May)" is no different than any other article being posted and shared in early May. My point was that AU is dwindling in the national eye. AU is starting to resemble USC (west coast), in the fact that we were very promising program with talent and now the most you get from them is they may be in a preseason poll but overall are just mediocre at best.

Habbernots and TPTB need to realize that we are falling right now and our "prominence" is becoming a thing of the past.  To sum it up, they need to get their heads out of their rumps, and start working overtime, making deals with people to bring NIL opportunities to the plains. Like their heads were on fire and their asses were catching type urgency.

[GH2001]

So now you know how the rest of us feel when you get on your liberal keyboard and spit your gibberish opinions on the rest of us.

This "blog preseason poll (in early May)" is no different than any other article being posted and shared in early May. My point was that AU is dwindling in the national eye. AU is starting to resemble USC (west coast), in the fact that we were very promising program with talent and now the most you get from them is they may be in a preseason poll but overall are just mediocre at best.

Habbernots and TPTB need to realize that we are falling right now and our "prominence" is becoming a thing of the past.  To sum it up, they need to get their heads out of their rumps, and start working overtime, making deals with people to bring NIL opportunities to the plains. Like their heads were on fire and their asses were catching type urgency.

Get your facts out of here again. Its about the feels man.

Oh, by the way....we got NIL Punked again today by Knoxville, with Julian Phillips. The whiffs just keep coming. I hope Bruce is screaming at some fools.

[Snaggletiger]

Wes may tilt slightly to the left with his politics....okay, his friends call him Lefty, but he loves him some Auburn football.

Yeah GH, I think the Julian Phillips dealio really does expose where we are on NIL.  We may be trying, and it looks like we are, but you gotta' keep Bruce happy and get him what he needs.

[Kaos]

Wes may tilt slightly to the left with his politics....okay, his friends call him Lefty, but he loves him some Auburn football.

Yeah GH, I think the Julian Phillips dealio really does expose where we are on NIL.  We may be trying, and it looks like we are, but you gotta' keep Bruce happy and get him what he needs.

What did I say?

[Buzz Killington]

What did I say?

No tomatoes?

[GH2001]

No tomatoes?

K gonna go all Snags and cut some folks.

[Kaos]

Here is my warning.

We are so far behind in the stupid NIL nonsense we may never catch up.  Perception-wise we are trolling along the catfish bottom with Mississippi State. 

If we cannot get it together, it's not only going to sink Harsin's (dead in the water) football ship, but we will lose Bruce Pearl to a program that can at least compete for recruits and not be submarined by push-pop hillbillies.  And then it's over. 

[Snaggletiger]

Here is my warning.

We are so far behind in the stupid NIL nonsense we may never catch up.  Perception-wise we are trolling along the catfish bottom with Mississippi State. 

If we cannot get it together, it's not only going to sink Harsin's (dead in the water) football ship, but we will lose Bruce Pearl to a program that can at least compete for recruits and not be submarined by push-pop hillbillies.  And then it's over.

I’m hoping this is not the case, and I think this recruiting cycle for Hartline will tell the story.  So far, I haven’t seen anything to indicate that it’s affecting Pearl.  There haven’t been any real high profile players hitting the portal, and the players he added look to make us one of the favorites in the SEC again.  Yes, we missed out on the Phillips kid, but he had every option in the world, and who said he was a lock for Auburn anyhowz?

On another note, the State of Missouri just passed an amendment, which will allow coaches to get involved with helping players get NIL deals.  Didn’t know that was prohibited, but I would expect most football crazed States to follow suit.

[AUJarhead]

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/ohio-high-school/2022/05/17/ohio-high-school-principals-vote-against-name-image-likeness-nil/9798275002/

OHSAA referendum: Name, image, likeness (NIL) in Ohio high schools fails by wide margin

I suspect states like Illinois and California to allow it for high school students sooner or later.

Then watch 5* athletes start moving.

[Kaos]

I’m hoping this is not the case, and I think this recruiting cycle for Hartline will tell the story.  So far, I haven’t seen anything to indicate that it’s affecting Pearl.  There haven’t been any real high profile players hitting the portal, and the players he added look to make us one of the favorites in the SEC again.  Yes, we missed out on the Phillips kid, but he had every option in the world, and who said he was a lock for Auburn anyhowz?

On another note, the State of Missouri just passed an amendment, which will allow coaches to get involved with helping players get NIL deals.  Didn’t know that was prohibited, but I would expect most football crazed States to follow suit.

Everybody.  Including his momma and them.

[GH2001]

Everybody.  Including his momma and them.

Yep ^....even the Vol crystal ball guys on Rivals and 247 had him pegged for Bruce.

We got outbid....period. Nothing more or less. Its that simple.

[Snaggletiger]

From Julian Phillips himself.  This was part of a piece from on3 released on April 1st.  All the buzz about Auburn was because he took an official there in April.  Understandable.  But it's clear the guy was looking for a hot program with a recent history of putting players in the show.  That's the common theme.  Yes, Auburn fits the bill, but so does Tennessee and Gonzaga and a lot of others. 

We probably did get outbid.  Nobody will ever know either way.  Certainly not all the bloggers and recruiting "insiders", who were WRONG AGAIN!!!


“I have been hearing from a lot of schools,” Phillips said. “Tennessee, Florida State, Gonzaga, Auburn, South Carolina, and Southern Cal are some of the schools I hear from most off the top of my head. I took all five visits for my junior year; I still have three or four official visits left for my senior year.”

Tennessee: “Coach (Rick) Barnes has had a lot of success coaching bigger wings like myself. They just won the SEC championship, so they are a hot team right now. He is putting guys, more importantly guards, in the league. He has a lot of experience winning.”

Florida State: “Coach (Leonard) Hamilton runs a great program. They have had a lot of success with guys like me; he puts them into the league. Even though they didn’t have a great year this year, they are bridging in a lot of guys who could help.”

Auburn: “Coach (Bruce) Pearl is another hot team who played really well in the SEC. He also has had success putting a lot of guys into the NBA; look at Jabari Smith this year. I think I could fit into their system and how they play as well.”

Southern Cal: “I have a good relationship with Coach (Andy) Enfield. I got to visit there my junior year and really liked it. He has had some success putting guys in the league. They also had a good year this year, following last year’s good year. Everything is good with them.”

South Carolina: “I talked to Coach (Lamont) Paris once already. He said he would start talking to me more once I get back home to Columbia after the season ends. I don’t know much about him personally, but I know the USC culture. Being from South Carolina, I saw them a lot growing up and have been around that program a lot. He did not set an exact date or time that we would start back talking, but he said we would be talking ‘in the future.’

Gonzaga: “That program and the culture speaks for itself. They have had a lot of success on the court with winning. And they put a lot of guys, at every position, in the pros. Their coaches tell me how much they like my game, and they think that I could fit into their culture and system, and I could help them a lot.”

[MildredAU]

From Julian Phillips himself.  This was part of a piece from on3 released on April 1st.  All the buzz about Auburn was because he took an official there in April.  Understandable.  But it's clear the guy was looking for a hot program with a recent history of putting players in the show.  That's the common theme.  Yes, Auburn fits the bill, but so does Tennessee and Gonzaga and a lot of others. 

We probably did get outbid.  Nobody will ever know either way.  Certainly not all the bloggers and recruiting "insiders", who were WRONG AGAIN!!!


“I have been hearing from a lot of schools,” Phillips said. “Tennessee, Florida State, Gonzaga, Auburn, South Carolina, and Southern Cal are some of the schools I hear from most off the top of my head. I took all five visits for my junior year; I still have three or four official visits left for my senior year.”

Tennessee: “Coach (Rick) Barnes has had a lot of success coaching bigger wings like myself. They just won the SEC championship, so they are a hot team right now. He is putting guys, more importantly guards, in the league. He has a lot of experience winning.”

Florida State: “Coach (Leonard) Hamilton runs a great program. They have had a lot of success with guys like me; he puts them into the league. Even though they didn’t have a great year this year, they are bridging in a lot of guys who could help.”

Auburn: “Coach (Bruce) Pearl is another hot team who played really well in the SEC. He also has had success putting a lot of guys into the NBA; look at Jabari Smith this year. I think I could fit into their system and how they play as well.”

Southern Cal: “I have a good relationship with Coach (Andy) Enfield. I got to visit there my junior year and really liked it. He has had some success putting guys in the league. They also had a good year this year, following last year’s good year. Everything is good with them.”

South Carolina: “I talked to Coach (Lamont) Paris once already. He said he would start talking to me more once I get back home to Columbia after the season ends. I don’t know much about him personally, but I know the USC culture. Being from South Carolina, I saw them a lot growing up and have been around that program a lot. He did not set an exact date or time that we would start back talking, but he said we would be talking ‘in the future.’

Gonzaga: “That program and the culture speaks for itself. They have had a lot of success on the court with winning. And they put a lot of guys, at every position, in the pros. Their coaches tell me how much they like my game, and they think that I could fit into their culture and system, and I could help them a lot.”

Thank you for all that you do to keep us updated. This is great. The interviews are fresh and the analysis is tittylating.

Makes me want to strap some of this hot pussy on you.

[Snaggletiger]

He's right, and he's a hippo-krit  copy/pasta from Roy Gaydos @ foxynews   


Alabama football coach Nick Saban went on a lengthy rant against Texas A&M and accused the Aggies of buying players via name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

Saban, who has likened the emergence of NIL deals and the increased use of the transfer portal to free agency, spoke Wednesday night at a conference in Birmingham and took issue with how Texas A&M was able to attain the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022.

"I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players," Saban said, via AL.com. "You read about it, you know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness.

"We didn’t buy one player. Aight? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough."

Jimbo Fisher said in May there had to be "rules and guardrails" when it came to NIL, according to The Eagle. He added "uniform rules, laws and everything that goes with it" should be in place. He denied, however, NIL impacted his players.

Saban accused smaller schools of making big money deals for players. He accused Jackson State of paying a player $1 million to come to the school, referencing Travis Hunter flipping his commitment to the school from Florida State. Tigers head coach Deion Sanders denied that notion.

"We have a rule right now that said you cannot use name, image and likeness to entice a player to come to your school. Hell, read about it in the paper," Saban said. "I mean, Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school. It was in the paper and they bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

Saban made clear he has no problem with players being able to make money via NIL deals but had issues with how schools are allegedly exploiting the current system. He said the NCAA can’t enforce their rules "because it’s not against the law."

The legendary college football coach said recruits in Alabama won’t commit to the Crimson Tide unless they match or beat whatever they’re getting from other schools. He said creating and using collectives funded by boosters wasn’t what NIL was supposed to be.

" The thing that I fear is at some point in time, they’re just going to say, ‘We’re going to have to pay players. If we start paying players, we’re going to have to eliminate sports,'" Saban added. "This is all bad for college sports. I mean, we probably have 450 people on scholarship at Alabama, whether they’re women’s tennis players, softball players, golfers, baseball players -- non-revenue sports that have, for years and years and years been able to create a better life for themselves because they’ve been able to get scholarships and participate in college athletics.

"That’s what college athletics is supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be something where people come to make money and you make a decision about where you go to school based on how much money you’re going to make. You should make a decision based on where you have the best chance to develop as a person, as a student and as a player, which is what we’ve always tried to major in and we’re going to continue to that. Hopefully there’s enough people out there that will want to do it."

Last week, the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors approved guidance developed by a group of college administrators clarifying the types of NIL payments and booster involvement that should be considered recruiting violations.

"Specifically, the guidance defines as a booster any third-party entity that promotes an athletics program, assists with recruiting or assists with providing benefits to recruits, enrolled student-athletes or their family members," the NCAA said. "The definition could include ‘collectives’ set up to funnel name, image and likeness deals to prospective student-athletes or enrolled student-athletes who might be considering transferring."

The new guidance is effective immediately, but the organization neither changed its rules nor created new ones. The NCAA directed enforcement staff to look for possible violations that may have occurred before May 9, 2022, but to "pursue only those actions that clearly are contrary to the published interim policy, including the most severe violations of recruiting rules or payment for athletics performance."