Free Agency - Where Things Stand

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

12 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah, the tuition hikes are a negative. No sugarcoating that. So are the declining donations, but that's tied mostly to performance (by coaches and admins alike).

Performance/economy but also costs. It has gotten really expensive to go to games (especially for families) and lot of people are turning to the comfort of their own home with coverage everywhere. I think years with Alabama and Georgia both away and the increase of cupcakes plays a role in that also.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

8 hours ago, Sizzle said:

The way a lot of athletes are is if a school they were interested in never offered them then they wouldn’t want to join them later on, they’d want to beat them if given the chance to play them

Not buying that when money starts becoming involved. Kid doesn't get recruited by Alabama and spends two years at Ole Miss. Then Alabama has a need at their position and is guaranteed X amount of cash, starting position, shot at conference/national titles, and greater exposure to the pros.

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Performance/economy but also costs. It has gotten really expensive to go to games (especially for families) and lot of people are turning to the comfort of their own home with coverage everywhere. I think years with Alabama and Georgia both away and the increase of cupcakes plays a role in that also.

Sorry, I was separating donations and ticket sales, but totally agree. Normal people really have to pick their spots today. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

15 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Not buying that when money starts becoming involved. Kid doesn't get recruited by Alabama and spends two years at Ole Miss. Then Alabama has a need at their position and is guaranteed X amount of cash, starting position, shot at conference/national titles, and greater exposure to the pros.

Greater exposure for the pros? If you were talking about an HBCU school then I’d understand but you said ole miss. They put guys in the draft. They had 2 WR’s go high in the draft last year alone

[McLoofus 35,182]

25 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

Greater exposure for the pros? If you were talking about an HBCU school then I’d understand but you said ole miss. They put guys in the draft. They had 2 WR’s go high in the draft last year alone

Exactly. 

If a kid is performing well enough at *any* P5 school, and a lot of G5 schools, that bama would offer him all of that? Then he would have no reason to leave. He's already looking at a high draft pick, he's already got the #1 selling jersey at his school, and that school's machine is already doing as much to keep their one superstar as bama's machine is willing to do to add one more to their already stocked pond. 

Also, everybody keeps speaking as though literally every player will be prostrate to the highest bidder, and like there will be limitless cash available for these "contracts". 

Per usual, the people who get emotional at the mere mention of an orange facemask break out in full blown hysteria at the idea of change. SSDD. 

[keesler 5,922]

On 2/23/2020 at 2:19 AM, Texan4Auburn said:

Here is where it will most likely happen. Like you said the money will be public. This means people will see what they are getting and articles will be written about it. More awareness will be brought to how much of student tuition is being used at universities to subsidize athletic programs. Auburn is one of the profitable ones and it is still taking the students for about 6 million a year. At some universities students are paying more than $2000 a year to support the athletic program.

So parents will see X player getting their full scholarship, then getting all their perks, and see where tuition goes up and higher percentages of it go to the athletic department and they are not going to be happy. People will realize that they paid almost an entire years worth of tuition money in athletic fee's by graduation. Parents wont send their kids to school there, or kids will choose to go elsewhere (cause who wants to repay 8000 dollars that didn't benefit them). Think this type of awareness will bring on a bigger academic vs athletic war.

So people will say if the boosters want to pay them fine, why should my or my child's education pay for them also. Lot of athletic programs will die without state and student subsidies.

Auburn chooses to take $6MM from academics to subsidize AU athletics and they continue to increase student fees yearly. 

Other SEC schools never charge the students or touch tuition AND they find a way to make substantial contributions to the Academic side annually.  It's a choice that each school makes, and if other SEC programs can get by without bleeding the students in fees, then I fail to see why Auburn can't do the same?  

 

 

[DAG 33,949]

7 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Exactly. 

If a kid is performing well enough at *any* P5 school, and a lot of G5 schools, that bama would offer him all of that? Then he would have no reason to leave. He's already looking at a high draft pick, he's already got the #1 selling jersey at his school, and that school's machine is already doing as much to keep their one superstar as bama's machine is willing to do to add one more to their already stocked pond. 

Also, everybody keeps speaking as though literally every player will be prostrate to the highest bidder, and like there will be limitless cash available for these "contracts". 

Per usual, the people who get emotional at the mere mention of an orange facemask break out in full blown hysteria at the idea of change. SSDD. 

There will be few and far between players to make any true money, IMO. That is the way the market goes. Tis is life. I am in CRNA school. When I leave, I damn sure better be making market price for what I do as compared to the surgical tech. It is what it is. 

[alexava 6,972]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

There will be few and far between players to make any true money, IMO. That is the way the market goes. Tis is life. I am in CRNA school. When I leave, I damn sure better be making market price for what I do as compared to the surgical tech. It is what it is. 

They will get serious money before they play a down. It will get into the heart of recruiting. Bank on it. 

[keesler 5,922]

3 hours ago, alexava said:

They will get serious money before they play a down. It will get into the heart of recruiting. Bank on it. 

I've thought of that.  Cali gave the NCAA ample time to react to the bill they passed in Oct '19 as it doesn't take effect until 1/1/23.  Recruiting for 2023 will start in earnest probably by Fall of 2021 and there are close to 2 dozen other States pushing the law forward in their legislature that will likely pass in the 2020 session.

What's to prevent Cali/Washington/Oregon/Colorado/Florida/Kentucky/SoCarl/NY/Minnesota/Maryland, etc from offering compensation packages in the form of guaranteed autograph sessions to recruits?  Packages where a school like Oregon with a power recruiter like Mario Christobal has the backing of Phil Knight and can make some damn strong offers to HS 5*'s.  Recruiting would be awfully tough for other P5 programs that can't offer the same benefits to Momma at her dining room table on an in-house visit.

 

 

[Sizzle 3,909]

3 hours ago, alexava said:

They will get serious money before they play a down. It will get into the heart of recruiting. Bank on it. 

 

3 minutes ago, keesler said:

I've thought of that.  Cali gave the NCAA ample time to react to the bill they passed in Oct '19 as it doesn't take effect until 1/1/23.  Recruiting for 2023 will start in earnest probably by Fall of 2021 and there are close to 2 dozen other States pushing the law forward in their legislature that will likely pass in the 2020 session.

What's to prevent Cali/Washington/Oregon/Colorado/Florida/Kentucky/SoCarl/NY/Minnesota/Maryland, etc from offering compensation packages in the form of guaranteed autograph sessions to recruits?  Packages where a school like Oregon with a power recruiter like Mario Christobal has the backing of Phil Knight and can make some damn strong offers to HS 5*'s.  Recruiting would be awfully tough for other P5 programs that can't offer the same benefits to Momma at her dining room table on an in-house visit.

 

 

There’s only a few select teams that pull in 5* recruits. So the things y’all are talking about are already going on. The teams who never bring in 5* aren’t going to be changing anything and all of a sudden start bringing in 5*

[alexava 6,972]

1 hour ago, Sizzle said:

 

There’s only a few select teams that pull in 5* recruits. So the things y’all are talking about are already going on. The teams who never bring in 5* aren’t going to be changing anything and all of a sudden start bringing in 5*

Which ever team has the backing of a few very rich booster who have business ties will buy the recruits, legally. Coaches are now agents. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, alexava said:

Which ever team has the backing of a few very rich booster who have business ties will buy the recruits, legally. Coaches are now agents. 

I posted the other day, but like 2/3 of all 5* recruits went to 6 teams last year. 

On average, the top 10 teams in recruiting fill 17 of 25 possible slots with 4* and 5* players. 

Things aren't going to change very much, if at all, in terms of where the players go.

 

[Sizzle 3,909]

1 hour ago, alexava said:

Which ever team has the backing of a few very rich booster who have business ties will buy the recruits, legally. Coaches are now agents. 

So it sounds like everything is going to stay the same. 

[alexava 6,972]

3 hours ago, McLoofus said:

I posted the other day, but like 2/3 of all 5* recruits went to 6 teams last year. 

On average, the top 10 teams in recruiting fill 17 of 25 possible slots with 4* and 5* players. 

Things aren't going to change very much, if at all, in terms of where the players go.

 

It’s how they choose where they go. 

[Mikey 16,540]

UAT paid his high school coaches $200,000 for them to guide Albert Means to Tuskaloser, and that was years ago. What with inflation, the going rate to get a 5* prospect's signature will probably be around 1/2 million.

Things, specially in recruiting, are going to change. All the Harvard and Yale types have to do is do like everybody and admit scholarship athletes that can meet the NCAA minimum. Then they can be competing for football national championships in just two or three years. They might not care enough about it to buy a natty, but they will be able to buy one if they want to do so.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

17 hours ago, Sizzle said:

Greater exposure for the pros? If you were talking about an HBCU school then I’d understand but you said ole miss. They put guys in the draft. They had 2 WR’s go high in the draft last year alone

Alabama has 56 players in the pro's currently and Ole Miss 19.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2019-09-03/colleges-most-represented-2019-nfl-rosters

You also left out what I consider a key factor.......Championship Opportunity. Don't forget the rings.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

16 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Also, everybody keeps speaking as though literally every player will be prostrate to the highest bidder, and like there will be limitless cash available for these "contracts". 

 

Well... in my defense..... I have finally hinted at where I played on these boards for the first time ever lol.

[keesler 5,922]

17 hours ago, alexava said:

It’s how they choose where they go. 

If student-athletes are allowed to get paid for their likeness then what's to stop Nike/UA/Adidas from paying tons to prospective college basketball players for a shoe endorsement or an apparel signing?  What's to stop Oregon from all but guaranteeing a recruit that old Phil with Nike and assure them top dollar for their likeness?

[alexava 6,972]

18 minutes ago, keesler said:

If student-athletes are allowed to get paid for their likeness then what's to stop Nike/UA/Adidas from paying tons to prospective college basketball players for a shoe endorsement or an apparel signing?  What's to stop Oregon from all but guaranteeing a recruit that old Phil with Nike and assure them top dollar for their likeness?

Pressure Treated Lumber, baby. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

3 hours ago, alexava said:

Pressure Treated Lumber, baby. 

Then Bo can autograph his Yella UA shoes after each game for top Dolla!

[McLoofus 35,182]

16 hours ago, keesler said:

If student-athletes are allowed to get paid for their likeness then what's to stop Nike/UA/Adidas from paying tons to prospective college basketball players for a shoe endorsement or an apparel signing?  What's to stop Oregon from all but guaranteeing a recruit that old Phil with Nike and assure them top dollar for their likeness?

Remember, Tony Barbee said that you can't win at an Under Armor school years ago. 

Oregon has already massively stepped up their recruiting and overall profile with Nike money. They've already gone to a couple title games. They've already got cheerleaders that are way too hot for the PNW.

(Also, what happens when Nike is overtly steering kids to Oregon instead of all the other schools they do business with?)

There will still be a 4-5 year cap on a player's college experience (and usually far less for blue chip hoops prospects). Furthermore, Nike and UA and Fat Tony the Booster aren't going to guarantee money for that kid's entire college career. They're only going to guarantee a signing bonus. The kinds of elite players we're talking about are still going to be primarily concerned with their professional career. So they'll still make the same business decisions they do now. And $10k more at Oregon isn't going to make many kids from the southeast go up there when Momma can watch their games live in Athens or turdtown or BR. Not when they have a reasonable expectation of a 7-figure salary in a couple years.

And once again, it's already a financial arms race. Facilities, coaching salaries, the sexiest recruiting events (helicopters, Belichick showing up for a camp, etc). The Ivy League schools would already be doing that with all their money if they wanted to. The football factories are already doing it.

There are things to think about but it's much healthier to think about how they can be done right instead of us acting hysterical and trying to argue for it not happening at all. It's going to happen, and the sport will be just fine.