NIL has soaked into even the punter game.

[Gandalf]

How far has the game come when even the PUNTER from LOUISVILLE is getting significant NIL money - enough at least that he decided not to play after not getting paid.

Louisville punter Brady Hodges skips Sun Bowl over NIL controversy

This is less about the Cardinals than the clear understanding that EVERY player, even the punters at a midlevel team, are paid.

In this wild west environment, how then do distinguish ourselves unless we are also paying out a crap ton of money like OSU, who has a billionaire sugar daddy - which we dont have?

I know this has been discussed ad nauseum here of late but we found out that while Heupel has turned us from the worst team in UT history to a playoff team, and Spyre certainly has been a part of that keeping us in the NIL game - there is a BIG gap (or feels like it) between a top 10 team and top 5. Much of that gap seems like money. Money to pay a roster of 5*s and assistant coaches.

With all that Oregon, Texas, OSU kind of teams are spending now, is it going to be where top 5 are these pro type teams while the next tier are TN, Bama, GA, etc who focus on almost what now seems like an old school Dabo like approach of building a team?

 

[sami]

.

 

[sami]

This could be a good part of the reason that Josh appears to want to build the old school way - recruit and develop. We'll never be able to compete in NIL with the Oregons, Texas', and OSU's of the world, but there are only a handful of schools operating at that level.

 

[Vol737]

This could be a good part of the reason that Josh appears to want to build the old school way - recruit and develop. We'll never be able to compete in NIL with the Oregons, Texas', and OSU's of the world, but there are only a handful of schools operating at that level.

We just need more of our alumni to become multimillionaires.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Worked out pretty well for Louisville. That backup Punter was gold!

 

[Firebirdparts]

We sure got here fast.

It was much slower with the coaches. It took a long time to go from Nick Saban is making over a million dollars at LSU to Butch Jones is making 4 million at UT. With the players it seems like it has only taken about 4 years. FWIW. If you are the only employer paying a million dollars, you can get who you want. If everybody pays a million, you have NO CHOICE in who your employees are, and plus, paying them more doesn't make them any more skilled.

Glad it ain't my money.