The Transfer Portal is Leveling the Field. Next Up: NIL Caps

[casual-observer]

ESPN reporting this afternoon that 20.5% of the 2023 rosters were made up of portal transfers. This up from a mere 6.5% in 2019.

I used to think the NIL would be the end of College Football but, that coupled with the new Transfer Portal rules (along with a great hire in CJH) has brought my favorite Tennessee Vols from rocky bottom closer to Rocky Top in a very short amount of time.

Think about how difficult it is to compete with the Georgia's, Alabama's, Ohio State's, and Clemson's year-after-year as they stock their 2nd and 3rd strings with five-star recruits. Think about all the great Portal Transfers in the past three years that have augmented the Volunteer program.

Next up, is going to have to be a leveling of the NIL monies. Texas A&M has shown that, money can't buy everything. But this feels a lot like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's and 80's. How many Super Bowls do you think Dallas would have won if the salary caps had not been implemented? Now in the NFL, it's common to see a team go from worst to first or reverse over the course of even one season.

It seems like it should be on the NCAA's to-do list: How does a team like Washington with an average NIL of $32K ever supposed to compete with a Georgia ($143K), Ohio State ($139K), or Alabama ($125K)?

 

[MegaVol615]

I suspect this is going to be tough to do. NIL is more akin to the endorsement money NFL players get (paid by third parties) not their playing salaries (paid by the team). There’s no cap on endorsements. Plus, any effort to cap college players’ ability to earn is going to run into a lot of legal challenges.
If the NCAA hadn’t stuck its head in the sand for many years and instead shaped NIL, maybe they could have put a better structure around the NIL issue. Now, they don’t have any leverage to do much of anything on the topic.

 

[TheDeeble]

I suspect this is going to be tough to do. NIL is more akin to the endorsement money NFL players get (paid by third parties) not their playing salaries (paid by the team). There’s no cap on endorsements. Plus, any effort to cap college players’ ability to earn is going to run into a lot of legal challenges.
If the NCAA hadn’t stuck its head in the sand for many years and instead shaped NIL, maybe they could have put a better structure around the NIL issue. Now, they don’t have any leverage to do much of anything on the topic.

Yea, some people don't realize that NIL isn't a special rule carved out for college athletes. It's the right of every American to profit from their NIL and the NCAA was illegally restricting college athletes from doing so for decades. Any attempt from the NCAA to limit NIL is going to be met with several legal challenges I think.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Salary caps on coaches and NCAA, conference, and school administrators need to be first. Only then can they begin to talk about limiting the players’ cut.

 

[Boston Vol]

ESPN reporting this afternoon that 20.5% of the 2023 rosters were made up of portal transfers. This up from a mere 6.5% in 2019.

I used to think the NIL would be the end of College Football but, that coupled with the new Transfer Portal rules (along with a great hire in CJH) has brought my favorite Tennessee Vols from rocky bottom closer to Rocky Top in a very short amount of time.

Think about how difficult it is to compete with the Georgia's, Alabama's, Ohio State's, and Clemson's year-after-year as they stock their 2nd and 3rd strings with five-star recruits. Think about all the great Portal Transfers in the past three years that have augmented the Volunteer program.

Next up, is going to have to be a leveling of the NIL monies. Texas A&M has shown that, money can't buy everything. But this feels a lot like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's and 80's. How many Super Bowls do you think Dallas would have won if the salary caps had not been implemented? Now in the NFL, it's common to see a team go from worst to first or reverse over the course of even one season.

It seems like it should be on the NCAA's to-do list: How does a team like Washington with an average NIL of $32K ever supposed to compete with a Georgia ($143K), Ohio State ($139K), or Alabama ($125K)?

The NCAA wouldn’t stand a chance in court.

 

[vik]

ESPN reporting this afternoon that 20.5% of the 2023 rosters were made up of portal transfers. This up from a mere 6.5% in 2019.

I used to think the NIL would be the end of College Football but, that coupled with the new Transfer Portal rules (along with a great hire in CJH) has brought my favorite Tennessee Vols from rocky bottom closer to Rocky Top in a very short amount of time.

Think about how difficult it is to compete with the Georgia's, Alabama's, Ohio State's, and Clemson's year-after-year as they stock their 2nd and 3rd strings with five-star recruits. Think about all the great Portal Transfers in the past three years that have augmented the Volunteer program.

Next up, is going to have to be a leveling of the NIL monies. Texas A&M has shown that, money can't buy everything. But this feels a lot like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's and 80's. How many Super Bowls do you think Dallas would have won if the salary caps had not been implemented? Now in the NFL, it's common to see a team go from worst to first or reverse over the course of even one season.

It seems like it should be on the NCAA's to-do list: How does a team like Washington with an average NIL of $32K ever supposed to compete with a Georgia ($143K), Ohio State ($139K), or Alabama ($125K)?

I can't see that happening. The Supreme Court ruled that NCAA restrictions on “education-related benefits” for college athletes violated antitrust law. It was a 9-0 Supreme Court decision! I can't really imagine the Supreme Court ruling 9-0 on anything, but they ruled that way on this case.

In any event, I think Tennessee is in a good spot with NIL and NIL opportunities compared to most other schools.

 

[freedom fighter]

Players love cash, no 1099

 

[Vols All Day]

Next things coming are the athletes being seen as employees and the athletes having a union.

 

[SpookyAction]

I don't support parity in CFB.
If our fans are willing to pay NIL for players coming to UT, why should we hold back to let our opponents have a fair chance.
Do we hold back during a game to make the football game fair?
Fair means everyone gives it all they've got.

General Neyland's Maxims don't mention holding back.

1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way—SCORE.
3. If at first the game—or the breaks—go against you, don’t let up . . . put on more steam.
4. Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game.
5. Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle for this is the WINNING EDGE.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
7. Carry the fight to our opponent and keep it there for 60 minutes.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Next things coming are the athletes being seen as employees and the athletes having a union.

And no classes

 

[casual-observer]

And no classes

Hahahahahahhaha, right!

I agree with most of what has been posted in the thread. There's likely no way to limit the spend. Again, aTm has proven that money isn't everything.

And yes, thankfully UT is near the top. They say that money can't buy happiness. But it can get you from 3-7 to 11-2 in less than 24 months.

The NCAA has facocked NIL.

 

[TNHopeful505]

Yeah....Pandora's box is opened, and there's no going back. The NCAA has lost control and this thing formerly known as college football will continue to grow and become more of a farm league and there's really nothing anyone can do about it.

 

[Defaultuser]

"Pandora's box". What a crybaby

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Next up, is going to have to be a leveling of the NIL monies. Texas A&M has shown that, money can't buy everything. But this feels a lot like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's and 80's. How many Super Bowls do you think Dallas would have won if the salary caps had not been implemented? Now in the NFL, it's common to see a team go from worst to first or reverse over the course of even one season.

It seems like it should be on the NCAA's to-do list: How does a team like Washington with an average NIL of $32K ever supposed to compete with a Georgia ($143K), Ohio State ($139K), or Alabama ($125K)?

NIL can't be capped. The entire reason for NIL was the Supreme Court forbid the NCAA from continuing to try to suppress athletes' earnings (along with several state laws forbidding the practice).

NIL is effectively the 'law of the land' now. NCAA can't "cap" athletes earnings and has literally no power over NIL.

 

[VolInDayton]

If you add an NIL cap you will go back to what it was like not having NIL. You will just have teams going around the system.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

And no classes

Definitely the death of 'college' ball. Might as well call it what it is at that point. NFL farm league.

 

[MontyPython]

ESPN reporting this afternoon that 20.5% of the 2023 rosters were made up of portal transfers. This up from a mere 6.5% in 2019.

I used to think the NIL would be the end of College Football but, that coupled with the new Transfer Portal rules (along with a great hire in CJH) has brought my favorite Tennessee Vols from rocky bottom closer to Rocky Top in a very short amount of time.

Think about how difficult it is to compete with the Georgia's, Alabama's, Ohio State's, and Clemson's year-after-year as they stock their 2nd and 3rd strings with five-star recruits. Think about all the great Portal Transfers in the past three years that have augmented the Volunteer program.

Next up, is going to have to be a leveling of the NIL monies. Texas A&M has shown that, money can't buy everything. But this feels a lot like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's and 80's. How many Super Bowls do you think Dallas would have won if the salary caps had not been implemented? Now in the NFL, it's common to see a team go from worst to first or reverse over the course of even one season.

It seems like it should be on the NCAA's to-do list: How does a team like Washington with an average NIL of $32K ever supposed to compete with a Georgia ($143K), Ohio State ($139K), or Alabama ($125K)?

Wrong.

Since when does the USA limit how much anyone can make for marketing themselves?

Can't (and won't) happen.

 

[VolInDayton]

Wrong.

Since when does the USA limit how much anyone can make for marketing themselves?

Can't (and won't) happen.

Because with the current system we pretend like it's marketing but it's a salary.

Leagues without a salary cap or much less a luxury tax leads to an uncompetitive league.

I think the best solution would be create a salary and a salary cap for X number of scholarships. This money would come from what the universities make from TV deals and ticket sales. It would be more significant than the NIL they currently get and put all the teams on an even playing field. Players could make more on NIL above this but an extra 50k from NIL won't mean much if a school has 20 million that's being divided up between 65 players or whatever.

 

[casual-observer]

If you add an NIL cap you will go back to what it was like not having NIL. You will just have teams going around the system.

VolInDayron - I literally laugh out loud every time you post because your avatar image is such a ridiculous clown. Please don’t ever change it.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

All an NIL cap would do is reintroduce under the table "funny money". I love NIL because it allows programs more transparency and eliminates the need for shady dealing behind the scenes. The minute a cap is introduced, programs will be working to circumvent it.

 

[MontyPython]

Because with the current system we pretend like it's marketing but it's a salary.

Leagues without a salary cap or much less a luxury tax leads to an uncompetitive league.

I think the best solution would be create a salary and a salary cap for X number of scholarships. This money would come from what the universities make from TV deals and ticket sales. It would be more significant than the NIL they currently get and put all the teams on an even playing field. Players could make more on NIL above this but an extra 50k from NIL won't mean much if a school has 20 million that's being divided up between 65 players or whatever.

You forget NIL is not controlled by the school. Ergo, as it's 100 percent legal, it's not even in the realm of controllable.

The NCAA litigated this issue and lost. Badly.

The dijini is out of the bottle. Those that adapt will win.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

All an NIL cap would do is reintroduce under the table "funny money". I love NIL because it allows programs more transparency and eliminates the need for shady dealing behind the scenes. The minute a cap is introduced, programs will be working to circumvent it.

You can’t have a cap on NIL. Even pro sports has a cap on team salary and not on individual salary and no one in anything(sports included) has a cap on NIL/endorsements. It would not stand court challenges. NCAA was always on sinking sand and just finally got caught.

 

[VolInDayton]

You forget NIL is not controlled by the school. Ergo, as it's 100 percent legal, it's not even in the realm of controllable.

The NCAA litigated this issue and lost. Badly.

The dijini is out of the bottle. Those that adapt will win.

I know it's not controlled by the school, but I think it's time that the schools/conferences start paying the players. They are signing tv contracts for billions of dollars now and ADs and coaches are telling fans its up to them to pay for the players while they are making more money than they ever have.

 

[Voltopia]

Yeah....Pandora's box is opened, and there's no going back. The NCAA has lost control and this thing formerly known as college football will continue to grow and become more of a farm league and there's really nothing anyone can do about it.

The only thing to be done is sever the programs from the colleges, which is probably what should happen but no one will have the guts to do it. If college football has nothing to do wth schools or being student-athletes - and the Supreme Court and the pay-for-play crowd sure don't think they do - then it shouldn't be representing the schools anymore. It's farcical to act otherwise.

In a perfect world, the schools would disgorge their pro sports apparatuses, let them become NFL-supported farm teams, and then the schools could restart college athletics with actual student-athletes again. Let the farm teams run as business, build their own stadiums, support themselves, etc., and get them off college campuses.

Of course, then fans would dump the farm teams and support their new college teams, because the support is really about the regional college identity. The people driving college football haven't fully ruined that - though they're doing their damndest to try.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I know it's not controlled by the school, but I think it's time that the schools/conferences start paying the players. They are signing tv contracts for billions of dollars now and ADs and coaches are telling fans its up to them to pay for the players while they are making more money than they ever have.

The players, as employees, will unionize and collectively negotiate contracts as per the NFL which means the schools will have to share TV revenue.

With what you're suggesting there's no way to make players students. You can't force a pro athlete to attend school, so you could easily end up with aging NFL stars coming back to "college" ball.

You're talking about ending college athletics, I assume.