Candid Coaches: How much NIL money are recruits asking for?

[HooperScooper]

Figured this deserved its own thread since it's been a pretty big topic recently. Most of the coaches agreed that what everyone is hearing about NIL packages is exaggerated but since the kids and their families hear these figures they then ask for the moon. So there's a lot of negotiating for these packages. One coach said the largest ask for NIL that's he's experienced was for $5 million. I wonder what recruit that was? I have a guess.

"The same player who got $50,000 a few years ago is now getting $200,000 -- and the player who got $200,000 a few years ago is probably asking for a million and nearly getting it," one coach told me. "I used to have a good NIL package. About $2.5 million. That used to be good. But it's nothing now compared to some SEC and Big 12 schools. I swear some schools are spending $6 or $7 million in the transfer portal. We can't do that at my place. But that's about what it takes now."

Candid Coaches: What is the most amount of NIL money someone has asked you or your staff to pay for a player?

We asked college basketball coaches how much NIL money they are being asked to arrange to sign top recruits

www.cbssports.com

 

[HooperScooper]

Follow up Candid Coaches article: Which three programs do you believe have the best NIL situations? The suspected programs at the top. UConn mentioned 6.3% of the time, tied for 13th most with UNC.

One other interesting thing about the results of our poll is that the programs coaches largely believe are swinging the biggest NIL sticks are either blue bloods and/or schools employing new coaches. Our top-five vote getters -- Arkansas, Kansas, BYU, Kentucky and Indiana -- all check at least one of those boxes. Kentucky checks both. And only six programs appeared on more ballots than Louisville, another traditional power with a new coach that is desperate to return to relevance ASAP.

"They're handing out money like it's Monopoly," one coach said.

Candid Coaches: Which programs do you believe have the best NIL situations?

We asked more than 100 coaches who they think have the best name, image and likeness programs in place

www.cbssports.com

 

[Ricker]

"The same player who got $50,000 a few years ago is now getting $200,000 -- and the player who got $200,000 a few years ago is probably asking for a million and nearly getting it,"

That sets the record pretty straight. NIL has been here a couple years and yet the coach is quoting the going rate a few years ago. Hopefully as the market settles in, we can afford to recruit 1 quality 5 star player each year and be very competitive with kids in the #40 to #70 range, while also grabbing an impact portal kid from D1 mid-majors that can't afford to keep their winners and end up as feeder programs. A clever Hurley might be able to force the deep pocket programs to pay up so much for particular prospects that their available funds for other players becomes limited, and puts us in a better position with other guys we like. It is really disappointing to have to compete into 7 figure salaries to build a roster with championship capabilities.

 

[RuffRuff]

 

[Matrim55]

This is why you will never get another wink out of me again. Game's changed.

 

[HooperScooper]

I'm most curious to see what happens with recruiting and winning at Kentucky and Arkansas.

Calipari obviously recruited very well at Kentucky. Was it mostly due to the Kentucky brand or Calipari being a great recruiter? Pitino was there and recruited well but not as well as Calipari. Tubby Smith was there for 10 years and didn't get that many 5 star recruits. Was that by design. So can Pope get a lot of highly rated recruits there?

Musselman recruited pretty well at Arkansas. So can Calipari take recruiting there to Kentucky levels?

Might not matter at either place if either or both of them can't coach.

 

[controlfade]

I'm most curious to see what happens with recruiting and winning at Kentucky and Arkansas.

Calipari obviously recruited very well at Kentucky. Was it mostly due to the Kentucky brand or Calipari being a great recruiter? Pitino was there and recruited well but not as well as Calipari. Tubby Smith was there for 10 years and didn't get that many 5 star recruits. Was that by design. So can Pope get a lot of highly rated recruits there?

Musselman recruited pretty well at Arkansas. So can Calipari take recruiting there to Kentucky levels?

Might not matter at either place if either or both of them can't coach.

Squid has recruited everywhere hes been, UMASS, Memphis and Kentucky. He was not recruiting at UMASS like Memphis and UK but he was not there long and got UMASS to a final 4! He was pulling top classes at Memphis , he had historically been great at that part. Now at Arkansas he has more money than hes ever had! Arkansas will have no issue recruiting with Squid and their finances.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Follow up Candid Coaches article: Which three programs do you believe have the best NIL situations? The suspected programs at the top. UConn mentioned 6.3% of the time, tied for 13th most with UNC.

One other interesting thing about the results of our poll is that the programs coaches largely believe are swinging the biggest NIL sticks are either blue bloods and/or schools employing new coaches. Our top-five vote getters -- Arkansas, Kansas, BYU, Kentucky and Indiana -- all check at least one of those boxes. Kentucky checks both. And only six programs appeared on more ballots than Louisville, another traditional power with a new coach that is desperate to return to relevance ASAP.

"They're handing out money like it's Monopoly," one coach said.

Candid Coaches: Which programs do you believe have the best NIL situations?

We asked more than 100 coaches who they think have the best name, image and likeness programs in place

www.cbssports.com

If the Big 12 ever asks us to join, we go. No questions asked. Same with the Big 10 and SEC, obviously. The ACC is dying. It’s about NIL and it’s about keeping all sports alive

 

[Ricker]

As the portal & 5* world of NIL 'free agents' gets in that $1mill to $5mill area, it will be interesting to see if top recruits gravitate to Florida, and Texas schools that can match the $ of other schools BUT, you get to keep more of it.

From today's WSJ Bill Belichick explained that states with millionaire surtaxes like Massachusetts are at a disadvantage in attracting the best free agent players. (He goes on to elaborate)

Jared Walczak at the Tax Foundation calculated in April that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will pay an estimated $3.59 million in state income taxes in 2024 in Ohio, but if he played for the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., he’d pay $379,000. A player making $50 million would pay $4,968,457 playing for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s home-state Vikings compared to $586,902 on that same contract at the Dallas Cowboys.

The NIL numbers are smaller, but divide by 10 and the tax difference on $5 mill would be $497k vs $57k. You can buy a house for the difference in what you keep.

Obviously there are other factors and only the highest end players would be much affected, but it will be interesting if this ever becomes a determining factor with a future Cooper Flagg. (Maybe even the Boozer twins to Miami?)

 

[willie99]

Funny how Squids unaccomplished program ranks # 1

It's all he's got, he can't coach

 

[uh-no]

It's all he's got, he can't coach

same as he's ever been.

 

[Palatine]

As the portal & 5* world of NIL 'free agents' gets in that $1mill to $5mill area, it will be interesting to see if top recruits gravitate to Florida, and Texas schools that can match the $ of other schools BUT, you get to keep more of it.

From today's WSJ Bill Belichick explained that states with millionaire surtaxes like Massachusetts are at a disadvantage in attracting the best free agent players. (He goes on to elaborate)

Jared Walczak at the Tax Foundation calculated in April that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will pay an estimated $3.59 million in state income taxes in 2024 in Ohio, but if he played for the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla., he’d pay $379,000. A player making $50 million would pay $4,968,457 playing for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s home-state Vikings compared to $586,902 on that same contract at the Dallas Cowboys.

The NIL numbers are smaller, but divide by 10 and the tax difference on $5 mill would be $497k vs $57k. You can buy a house for the difference in what you keep.

Obviously there are other factors and only the highest end players would be much affected, but it will be interesting if this ever becomes a determining factor with a future Cooper Flagg. (Maybe even the Boozer twins to Miami?)

This. Explains much.

 

[RuffRuff]

Funny how Squids unaccomplished program ranks # 1

It's all he's got, he can't coach

Squid has made a living on the recruiting end and it’s really all he stands for at this point. Recruiting is his brand and his niche, and I’m sure the Arkansas job became the right fit for him once he knew he had all the ammo he needed to keep it going, with a much lower bar to win.

It will be interesting here to see how long the Hog faithful will have patience for him. Cal makes them relevant, but if in 3 years they see him burning NIL on 5 stars year over year only to fold in the first round to the Oaklands of the world,

 

[JerseyAlum]

I do believe he admitted that just going after T10 recruits doesn't work anymore and would be shifting to T10 plus portal.

 

[HooperScooper]

I do believe he admitted that just going after T10 recruits doesn't work anymore and would be shifting to T10 plus portal.

He admitted that having too many freshmen wasn't good. He didn't say anything about not going after just top 10 recruits. He already has 1 for the 2025 class. And he's going hard after Meleek Thomas also. Koa Peat and Caleb Wilson too. He's doing the same thing he did at Kentucky.

"The lesson was you can't do this now with seven freshmen," he said. "You just can't. You're going to hit a team that's 25 years old on average, one was 26, and that team is physically going to get you, and so now we have a couple transfers that are older, some kids that transferred from Kentucky that went through it, and they're a year older, and some freshmen."

"We're not going to take six, seven freshmen now," Calipari said. "It'll be three or four. Hopefully retain a few, get a couple transfers, and that is the formula."

Calipari to apply new 'formula' to Arkansas roster

New Arkansas coach John Calipari acknowledged Wednesday that it will take a new "formula" to win in the NCAA tournament after a string of recent postseason failures at Kentucky, explaining, "The lesson was you can't do this now with seven freshmen."

www.espn.com

 

[Yardigan]

GM role has never been more important.

Question....are there CFB teams with a higher payroll than some MLB teams? If it hasn't happened yet, it will, won't it?

 

[HooperScooper]

GM role has never been more important.

Question....are there CFB teams with a higher payroll than some MLB teams? If it hasn't happened yet, it will, won't it?

Probably not but who knows. Ohio State spent $20 million of NIL money on this year's team (see article below) and the MLB team with the lowest payroll this season is the A's at $60 million.

How Ohio State built a $20 million, 'national championship or bust' roster

After watching rival Michigan win a national championship, the Buckeyes went all-in this offseason, ratcheting up the pressure on Ryan Day.

www.espn.com

 

[gtcam]

If the Big 12 ever asks us to join, we go. No questions asked. Same with the Big 10 and SEC, obviously. The ACC is dying. It’s about NIL and it’s about keeping all sports alive

At least I know you aren't Chris "the marshmallow" Murphy incognito