Before I get too far, I want to say one thing: I really like the concept of NIL for college athletes. Many players have massive brand recognition in the marketplace, and it took way too long for them to be able to profit off that.
However, I do have an issue with NIL in its current state. It’s essentially the wild west with few enforced rules or regulations, and it has become a big measuring stick for players to decide where they will go to school.
In the latest NIL-related drama, Florida signee Jaden Rashada did not enroll in Gainesville after an NIL deal fell through. All told, Rashada’s recruitment has been a showcase for all the shortcomings of NIL as it currently functions. Here’s a quick synopsis:
Rashada was originally committed to Miami but flipped to Florida after a massive NIL offer by a collective associated with the Gators. The Athletic reported that Rashada agreed to a $13 million NIL offer (!!) from the Gator Collective, an NIL group ran by ex-Florida baseball player Eddie Rojas. Only then did Rashada change his commitment. Seemingly without the funds to actually pay out the agreement, Rojas later terminated the deal. Rashada signed his national letter of intent on signing day but did not enroll, and every indication is that he will never enroll at Florida. Reports have circulated that Rashada requested to be released from his NLI, but his father has denied those rumors.
Rashada and his father were adamant that NIL had no role in his recruitment, but that’s clearly garbage. He was headed to Miami before the Gators’ godfather offer, but now that the offer is likely off the table, his recruitment is back open. Magic.
Here’s where my issue with NIL lies. It has become a primary motivation for recruits and how they choose schools. I don’t blame the athletes either. If the money is being offered, who wouldn’t go where the pockets are deepest? As long as that’s allowed, that’s what players should do.
NIL should be a byproduct of an athlete’s performance and brand growth at the college level, not bait for schools to dangle in order to reel in the biggest fish.
Under the current system, we’ve seen universities deliver massive NIL deals to recruits, only for said recruits to arrive on campus and realize they are pretty unhappy due to lack of playing time, atmosphere, culture, coaches, etc. Hello, transfer portal (looking at you, Texas A&M).
If Jaden Rashada wants to go to Florida because he loves Florida, that’s great, but it appears that he was only attracted by the massive NIL offer. Of course a teenager and his overzealous parents would want that instead of an actual good fit for college.
A message to recruits: Money doesn’t always buy happiness, especially when you commit somewhere in the middle of nowhere where you won’t play much.
I know schools have always paid recruits and that NIL is only an avenue for those payments to come out of the shadows, but recruiting has got to be about more than just who the highest bidder is. A school’s atmosphere, culture, location, coaching staff, and more are all very important to a recruit’s future, but seven-and-eight figure NIL deals can cloud judgment pretty fast.
It isn’t fair to recruits like Rashada who (rightfully so) end up basing their recruitment on NIL offers, only to get swindled and lose out on the money. It’s pretty clear to me that, finances out the window, Rashada would rather go to school somewhere else.
Can we just let recruits choose the school that is best for them and worry about NIL paydays once they actually get on the field?
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see where Rashada goes from here. His father is still adamant that he didn’t request to be released from his NLI, but Rashada likely loses out on any potential to be the starting quarterback by missing the spring enrollment window.
It’s also worth noting that $13 million is a hell of a lot of money for any recruit, let alone a player who is a consensus four-star prospect with an estimated NIL value of $450,000, according to On3. In most rankings, he’s not even a top three or four player in his class at his position. These are the lengths we have to go to in order to get this caliber of a player? Pretty surprising.
If Rashada had gone to Florida for the love of the university, been a star, and earned $13 million in NIL deals as a Gator, then good for him. But he was offered that money because high school film, scouts, and writers decided he was a high-caliber recruit.
How often do we see four-and-five star recruits not pan out?
I am all for NIL and for college athletes getting their fair share, but there has to be a better way to do it than auctioning the recruitment process to the highest bidder.
Follow Nick Hedges on Twitter @nicktrimshedges or Instagram @nicktrimshedges