Playoff speculation is about to intensify as college football begins its stretch run. But that doesn’t mean fans can forget about name, image, and likeness .
NIL business isn’t restricted to a date or a season. It can impact college football at any time.
I expect it to impact the sport at playoff time. You are naïve to think otherwise.
College football has become more money-driven than ever before. Players were the last ones to join the party. Schools already were raking in millions of dollars in television revenue. Coaches were prospering, too − ridiculously so.
Not only have coaching salaries soared. So have their buyouts. They can make more money from failing than most people make in a lifetime of successes.
Now, players are capitalizing on their name, image, and likeness. Combine that with their newfound freedom via the transfer portal, and players have never had it so good.
Some of those players have tried to turn good into better . Why wouldn’t they? Isn’t that what schools and coaches do?
Former UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka, a senior, quit his then-unbeaten team after three games. He said he would redshirt, presumably with the intention to transfer after the season. His reason: “Certain representations made to him had not been upheld.”
Translation: He wasn’t getting paid what he said he was promised when he joined the Rebels .
Sluka’s NIL representative, Marcus Cromartie, told ESPN that Sluka was “verbally promised a minimum of $100,000 from a UNLV assistant coach.”
Rob Sine, the CEO of Blueprint Sports, which runs UNLV’s NIL collective, denied the claim.
Keep in mind that Sluka is no superstar. He was a greater threat on the run than as a passer. UNLV’s offense surged forward without him when Sluka’s replacement, Hajj-Malik Williams, passed for three touchdowns in a 59-14 victory over Fresno State.
A couple of weeks after Sluka’s departure, Southern Cal defensive tackle Bear Alexander, who transferred from Georgia, said he would take a redshirt, which a player can do if he hasn’t played in more than four games.
NIL wasn’t mentioned as a motive for Alexander’s decision. His playing time had dropped significantly from last season.
However, Alexander serves as another example of a player making a move in his best interest at the expense of his team. Forget the “old college try.” This is the “new college try.”
It likely will get worse from a fan perspective before it gets better. And it could shake the sport to its core.
Imagine that your favorite team qualifies for the College Football Playoff. Also, imagine that your star player thinks “payoff,” rather than playoff.
Never mind if he already had a lucrative NIL deal. The playoffs would afford him more leverage than ever. Time to renegotiate, huh?
He could tell his coaches and NIL contacts that he would like nothing better than to lead his team to a championship. However, he would expect to be compensated.
The player could argue that his NIL deal was for a regular season, not a championship season. After all, coaches get bowl bonuses. Why shouldn’t a prominent player get a playoff bonus?
If a school weren’t willing to pay up, the player could declare for the draft if eligible or could opt for the transfer portal.
Championship opportunities don’t come along that often. In fact, some schools would consider them priceless.
ADAMS: Tennessee football would have more national titles if NIL had come sooner
If that required doling out a few more millions to a star player, they would consider it a necessary expense. The deal could be consummated without a word to the general populace.
And if that star player then led his school to a national championship, his coach would describe him as the “ultimate team player” as he raised a trophy above his head.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com . Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: NIL deals could impact College Football Playoff. It's time to renegotiate | Adams
Local News
Comments / 0