Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the undying legend of a $600K NIL offer

The alleged $600,000 NIL offer for Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is the story that keeps surging in college football.

It made another push this week when the Colorado State QB once again shared his thoughts on turning down big money offers to stay with the Rams.

It's not new news, though.

Here's my breakdown of the topic and what it means:

What is the story of the NIL offer for the Colorado State QB?

Like I said, this is no new story. I first broke the news of the reported offer in December of 2023, when CSU coach Jay Norvell told me Fowler-Nicolosi had turned down $600K to stay with the Rams. Norvell also said CSU's top dozen players were also tampered with after the 2023 season. It went viral then as it is now, leading college football Reddit's page and passing around social media like a wildfire.

The story keeps making surges at times. At Mountain West media days in July, Norvell named names. He said Kansas State was in on Fowler-Nicolosi and that Ole Miss and Texas A&M were among the schools trying to lure star receiver Tory Horton.

It surged again in the social media sphere following CSU's media day this week, when CBS reporter Richie Cozzolino posted on X part of his conversation with Fowler-Nicolosi.

It was a reiteration of what Fowler-Nicolosi has said, that this system and chance he got to show his talent is why teams are offering him and he has a long view of success in college leads to pro riches.

Fowler-Nicolosi's comments, of course, led to the predictable nonsense comments on social media but it was consistent in what he has said previously.

What does that NIL offer mean?

Since I first wrote that story and it took over college football talk, the nonstop question I received was some form of "yeah, but he didn't really get offered that much, right?"

I get the question and it's a fair one, but it misses the point. If BFN (as he's affectionately known to CSU fans) had left, would he have walked to a new school and cashed a $600,000 check Day 1? Almost certainly not. Would he have landed some or all of that? Hard to say.

That is part of the point. The NIL/tampering world is wild. Tons of people are being promised tons of things and often it's from a third-party person who may or may not be telling the truth and may or may not have the best intentions of the kid in mind.

If BFN had entered the portal and left, well, it would have been very real for CSU. It would have been very real for him and his family. I know of another player on CSU's 2023 roster who was promised the world if he hit the portal. He left and those promises didn't quite materialize.

That is the problem and why this story is such news. It's not about the actual dollar amount, it's about the wild stuff being promised to kids (BFN isn't even 21 yet!) who have to sift through and make a huge decision.

BFN, Horton and other Rams have been told that all that glitters is gold if they just leave. It's a tough call to make. It is happening and keeps happening.

The actual $600K isn't the point. The point is the not-so-subtle tampering going on across college sports. It is very real. College reporters hear stories almost daily of "School X was reaching out to Player X." When CSU plays a high-profile game and someone has a big day, there is some form of contact being made, even if it's just an opposing team coach starting to follow a player on social media to plant a seed.

So, who is Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi?

Frankly, it makes sense a team uncertain of a QB future would reach out to BFN. He's young (entering his redshirt sophomore year in 2024) with a big arm and fun personality. Players responded to him when he took over early in 2023. Many schools reached out to him and it will continue as long as he's at CSU.

Some across social media mock him for his clip in the CBS video talking about the playoff, but that's who he is. In an interview session with written reporters the same day he said, "what's stopping us from going 12-0?" when the Rams begin the season at No. 4 Texas.

But it doesn't come as a guarantee or brash arrogance, just the excitement and energy of a talented young QB with belief in himself and his team. And he talks about making money in the future, too. Is that a guarantee? Of course not, but why shouldn't he be all-in on his NFL dream? He's shown the big-time potential.

Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 3,460 yards and 22 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2023. Yeah, he needs to cut down on his interceptions (16 of them) and clean some stuff up, but the talent is there.

Pressure is here now, too. That's another reality of making this NIL offer public. His name is known throughout college football and people will be watching to see if he lives up to whatever their perception of that offer is.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle .

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the undying legend of a $600K NIL offer