SEC Needs a Draft

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

NFL forces you to go to 1 of 32 cities with no say unless you are undrafted. As far as majors, which school doesn't offer BA? For the rare Josh Dobbs who legit wants an education there are probably workaround options that could fit.

If there's a draft, the players are definitely employees. If they're employees, they'll need to be paid, have health benefits, and be able to negotiate salaries, etc. Basically, players will want some of that sweet TV money.

Second, Title IX. Female and male athletes will need to be treated the same under Federal Law. Pay the men, you must pay the women. Likely, they will be part of the same "player's union" negotiating salaries.

Third, it's questionable you'll be able to insist employees enroll in school while they are employed as athletes. They're not "student athletes" anymore, they're "athlete employees" of the University. I'm unsure an employer can force an employee to attend school or be fired.......maybe.

What you seem to want is: these are amateur athletes that we're going to force into a draft situation whether they "declare for a draft" or not. If a player chooses not to be in the draft, enrolls in a school and walks on to play football....... what then?

 

[stillavol]

See that’s the problem. Nobody knows. It’s easy to assume that oh well TAMU told him to say that. Maybe they did. But it’s 50/50 they didn’t tell him and he is telling the truth.

This whole “it’s only about the money” seems to be the go to excuse now. It simply doesn’t hold weight.

The elite players want to play for championships and have a shot at the NFL. That is the habitual message that Saban, Smart, and other elite recruiters sell. Bama had 6 first round draft choices last yr. They and GA lose many underclassmen every year to the NFL (thank goodness). High school recruits know this and see their fancy rings. You really think Arch Manning will make his decision based on money?

 

[Mccage]

I agree with this.

The UT administration has been killing the football program for 20 years now.

UT has the alumni base and fan support to compete at a high enough level in terms of NIL.

Will the administration do what's necessary to win?

Things seem to be somewhat better with White as AD but I'm still skeptical.

Tennessee has been irrelevant for 15 years. The Pruitt hire took a lot out of me as a fan.

The Heupel hire was okay I guess but I'm not sold on him.

So your opinion matters?

 

[kptvol1]

Perhaps the NCAA could mandate that no NIL deals can have any monetary relations with a university. We know a lot of schools who will do it anyway and get away with it, but it’s something

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Perhaps the NCAA could mandate that no NIL deals can have any monetary relations with a university. We know a lot of schools who will do it anyway and get away with it, but it’s something

They already do. NIL deals aren't connected to the schools.

As a matter of fact, BYU is under investigation because the same protein bar company that's providing a big NIL to walk on athletes is also providing its protein bars to athletes by the University. I think that's the problem...... but it has something to do with an NIL provider having too close of a relationship with the University.

 

[GAVol]

Force kids to go to school where they don’t wanna go and maybe not even have the major they want? How do you navigate that?

The whole thing is preposterous.

 

[GAVol]

Perhaps the NCAA could mandate that no NIL deals can have any monetary relations with a university. We know a lot of schools who will do it anyway and get away with it, but it’s something

It’s already like that.

 

[livefaith]

Could someone please explain to me why Georgia and Alabama, who are being talked @ in here, have a lock on dominating SEC football for the foreseeable future, yet Tennessee can't because of some handicap? I realize that both schools have superior rosters and a recently superior recruiting btw.

 

[GrizzlyVol]

It will happen whenever the SEC decides to disband from the NCAA and have their own league. I hope they do it after Texas and Oklahoma officially join. Any recruits, high school or transfers, wanting to join would have to “declare for the SEC” and waive their right to go to another conference/league until they are NFL draft eligible. Undrafted players could then join any team’s practice squad until a roster spot becomes available or they can choose to opt out of the league and be free to play for one of the other conferences. If they wanted to get into a future SEC Draft they just have to resubmit their name into the draft pool. There are ways they can make stuff happen if they really want it to happen. They could have a pretty exciting 10 game regular season and playoffs

Good sir what you just wrote makes more sense than whats going on currently, very nice job.

 

[Eastknox865]

NIL has completely changed the landscape and my concern is Tennessee could be left behind. It's absurd because Tennessee would be number 1 or 2 in terms of revenue in most conferences, but in the SEC we are middle of the pack. Not going to be able to compete with paying players like what TAM, bama, and uga can do. Texas will add to the difficulties and programs like Tennessee, Auburn, Oklahoma, historically strong programs with deep pockets will be middle of the road.

I don't really think a draft is right, but perhaps the conference can limit signees by star rating. Maybe max 3 five stars and max 15 four stars? At a conference level there may be the opportunity to maintain parity and reward coaching. Even Kirby said great coaching didn't win their championship its simply having the best players.

Think about if the NFL had the current CFB system. Cowboys and Giants would win every year, maybe even Washington since Snyder loves to overpay players. Instead look at the parity, Titans are the largest AFC media market remaining and Nashville ranks 25th. Modern CFB is rewarding recruiting over coaching and hard work, its given us a boring system where only 2-3 teams have a chance to win the title every year. What is the fix?

Obviously you don't have a real understanding of the NIL and what Tennessee is doing. Do some research on it and get back to us.

 

[Jmavols2]

In terms of money Tennessee can be competitive with Bama and Georgia, we just choose not to be.

Why would anyone,that has ties to tennessee football, spend money on it?? For the past 15 years the administration has proven that they don't care.

Much like them implementing this scholarship reduction despite the fact that the ncaa will never rule on it because they will not be around long enough to actually see it through. Yet UT still stuck a knife in its chest with the self imposed penalties. I love UT football and enjoyed this year but our administration is a complete joke and has been for over a decade

 

[GVol1966]

I'll translate.

"Our recruiting isn't good enough and I'm concerned."

That's what these threads are really saying.

I’ll translate even more: what these threads are really saying:
We won 3 games last year,
And we didn’t finish with a top 3 class In recruiting this year?
Panic,panic, call 911, the sky is falling, UT football is forever doomed.

 

[99gator]

I’ll translate even more: what these threads are really saying:
We won 3 games last year,
And we didn’t finish with a top 3 class In recruiting this year?
Panic,panic, call 911, the sky is falling, UT football is forever doomed.

I hear what you are saying.

But, let's be frank. Who has Tennessee been involved with in a head to head battle over a recruit that they came out on the winning side?

You may not win them all at this point. You may not win most. But, you should still win some.

 

[kptvol1]

They already do. NIL deals aren't connected to the schools.

As a matter of fact, BYU is under investigation because the same protein bar company that's providing a big NIL to walk on athletes is also providing its protein bars to athletes by the University. I think that's the problem...... but it has something to do with an NIL provider having too close of a relationship with the University.

It’s already like that.

I didn’t know this. I seem to remember reading a thread indicating that ATM was essentially creating a “company” to manufacture NIL deals. I’m probably remembering wrong.

 

[TNnative]

The SEC needs a draft? Good idea. The air is getting stale.

 

[Fullfillmer]

You’re talking about the revenue of the AD like it means anything as far as recruiting.

What revenue do you see pouring in to recruiting that will make us competitive with Alabama and Georgia that we are choosing not to deploy?

For that matter, I could be competitive with Alabama and Georgia, I just choose not to.

 

[Fullfillmer]

I didn’t know this. I seem to remember reading a thread indicating that ATM was essentially creating a “company” to manufacture NIL deals. I’m probably remembering wrong.

A and M and Texas created brand new non profit corps - donors donate to the non profit and the non profit flows the money to the prospects that become signees.

 

[GAVol]

I didn’t know this. I seem to remember reading a thread indicating that ATM was essentially creating a “company” to manufacture NIL deals. I’m probably remembering wrong.

The laws vary by state, but most of them keep a clear boundary between the ADs and NIL. That’s not to say that ADs can’t partner with somebody to help create NIL opportunities. They just can’t directly make deals and pay players.

 

[rocky top buzz]

What you seem to want is: these are amateur athletes that we're going to force into a draft situation whether they "declare for a draft" or not. If a player chooses not to be in the draft, enrolls in a school and walks on to play football....... what then?

No what I want is what college football used to be. State pride, college education, amateurs. With the amount of money being paid it is laughable to compare a football player to a women's soccer player. But we can't go back so the question is how do we move forward and is it good for the SEC or CFB as a whole for there to be 2-5 teams that can win it all and the rest are competing for the cheez-it bowl?

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

No what I want is what college football used to be. State pride, college education, amateurs. With the amount of money being paid it is laughable to compare a football player to a women's soccer player. But we can't go back so the question is how do we move forward and is it good for the SEC or CFB as a whole for there to be 2-5 teams that can win it all and the rest are competing for the cheez-it bowl?

I'll wager you also want lots of televised games (45-50 million per school in the SEC) and a great coach (salaries making them the highest paid state employee) and incredible locket rooms and facilities for training (millions and millions every 5 or 6 years to update the Anderson Center.)

We can't have it both ways. We can't do everything on one end to make this a pro sport........ then bitch when the players expect something on their end.

We did this. Not them. We have sown..... now we reap.

 

[GVol1966]

I hear what you are saying.

But, let's be frank. Who has Tennessee been involved with in a head to head battle over a recruit that they came out on the winning side?

You may not win them all at this point. You may not win most. But, you should still win some.[/
Tyre West , Justin Williams, Kaleb Webb to name a few this year.
You really don’t think we were the only ones recruiting them do you?

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

No what I want is what college football used to be. State pride, college education, amateurs. With the amount of money being paid it is laughable to compare a football player to a women's soccer player. But we can't go back so the question is how do we move forward and is it good for the SEC or CFB as a whole for there to be 2-5 teams that can win it all and the rest are competing for the cheez-it bowl?

Look at it this way:

Our stadium holds more people than the Titans.
Our coach makes more than the Titans coach.
Our training facilities rival, if not surpass, the Titans facilities.

Derrick Henry ..... $50 million/4 year contract

Jabari Small/Jaylon Wright ...... should be happy to play for their school and pride and education.

It doesn't add up.

 

[DaddyChad]

What revenue do you see pouring in to recruiting that will make us competitive with Alabama and Georgia that we are choosing not to deploy?

For that matter, I could be competitive with Alabama and Georgia, I just choose not to.

Our boosters have as much if not more than most programs in the sec. The AD’s revenue doesn’t have a damn thing to do with NIL money. You’ve got an NFL owner as a booster with a net worth of about 4 billion. Tennessee needs to get all their boosters on the right page and get some corporate money behind the NIL. We’re losing every head to head recruiting battle bc of a few factors but NIL is definitely one we could do better at. Are you correlating recruiting budget with our struggles?

 

[99gator]

Tyre West , Justin Williams, Kaleb Webb to name a few this year.
You really don’t think we were the only ones recruiting them do you?

Who were those head to head battles with?

 

[VOLINVONORE]

In terms of money Tennessee can be competitive with Bama and Georgia, we just choose not to be.

But the point is one should not have to get into bidding wars with another Universities to recruit any football player. The best coaches are paid the highest money. Why should they be allowed to stack the deck also? We as fans are the big losers unless we are one of the top paying Universities and have one of the top 3-4 coaches. Lets level the playing field just a little bit to retain some interest in all sports in our Universities. Everyone is better with a level playing field. I would rather pay through the noe for a really good coach than pay through the nose for 85 football players. The the quality of coaching determine who has the best teams.