Amounts and importance of NIL according to elite recruits -The Athletic ($)

....there is almost no incentive at all to be honest and say "yeah, I took the money".  But if anyone thinks that Miami got a top 5 class based on "development and relationship" then I dunno what to tell them.

So based on this feedback is it safe to say the annual "Harbaugh to the NFL" smoke may be a bigger factor than NIL?  They want tight relationships with coaches (who they trust will still be there) and and player development.  Interesting.  

EDIT:  Also, it also seems likely that at least some of these players have convinced themselves they chose the school because of the coaches and development, and the $ was just a nice bonus.  

This is interesting...  Kinda throws a wet blanket on the 'Harbaugh doesn't like our NIL plan' argument.  Well, on the surface, at least.  I haven't read the whole article, yet, so the quick summary is gold.

I have access to the Athletic through the NY Times, but that pathway never works when I'm at work (like now), and it only works after several tries at home.  I don't what the deal is...

or would you rather play for a coach that had success coaching in the NFL, who is still a coaching talent that is sought after by NFL teams.... or a coach that simply isn't good enough to get any attention from NFL teams?

Thanks OP. This is a great view into the decision making process of recruits and what matters most to them. I’ve been saying for some time that our fanbase’s perception of NIL in recruiting is distorted, especially the whining around the Dante Moore / CJ Carr recruitments. This is a good reminder that while NIL does matter and can meaningfully impact recruitments (a la Collins Acheampong), it is not the be all end all of recruiting that some have made it out to be. 

Post-fact interviews about whether or not grabbing a pile of cash (apart from IRS considerations) is what motivated your decision making has always felt a little dubious to me.  Who's gonna cop to being greedy in a public forum?  You can bet that set of people in the sample pool is a lot smaller than the actual number of people who salivate over a big bag of cash.

This is the inverse of the "Education is the most important thing" line of claptrap.

Interesting. Admirable, if so. But...

How many people ask/are asked in a job interview "So why this company? Why this role? What motivates you?" How many said things other than money? And being honest with yourself, what was the real reason? Many say they're looking for a good fit, strong teams, long runway to learn and grow. And I'm also guessing they're declining the role if it doesn't pay more than their current position. Talking money is a cultural faux pas but it shouldn't be. 

For me, I'd be really contemplating my odds of making it into the NFL. And, with a realistic view, I'd probably bias toward a school with the most NIL money and a good academic reputation. $400k/yr ($1.6M over 4)  is a significant head start in professional life.  Relationships matter... but at what point can you say with confidence your head coach, assistance coaches, position coaches are truly going to be there for your four years. There are Michigan players on their 3rd DC in 3 years. 

Wow. A lot of us thought it was NIL, but I guess because none of these recruits said, "I went to whoever paid me the most" we must have been wrong.

I don’t think anyone would admit that he just followed the money. I’m guessing a recruiting-obsessed person could probably figure out who these players are. 

This may be similar to (several years ago) players saying they didn’t receive any “brown bags”, or their families received other inappropriate benefits.

IIRC, USC, under Pete Carroll, never broke any rules.  

The NCAA just doesn’t enforce recruiting violations anymore.

Before the saying was.. “It just means more.”, the informal motto was - “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”

I believe them like I believe them when they say Academics are important to them. 

Sure would love to know who player 7 is: "I don't really like [Michigan State]. The culture wasn't a fit." 

I still think NIL plays a much larger role than even anonymously made comments. Even anonymously, people don't feel comfortable with admitting it. 

I would like to know the schools that signed these kids.

Obviously, some of the kids might be reluctant to discuss money.

We know OSU pays kids.

We know MSU pays kids.

My thought is that there are 20-25 schools paying kids with enticements and or Salaries/Fake NIL deals.

Player 1: $400K a year. It was surprising, for sure, playing defensive back.

”And I said “where do I sign”?”

Player 2: I never had money tossed my way in any conversations.

“The money wasn’t tossed, just directly placed in my bank account.” 

Player 3: Somebody tried to throw $1 million at me on signing day. Somebody called my parents and coaches. My loyalty to the program I signed with isn’t worth a million dollars. I’ll make that in no time. 

“Besides, I was already getting $990,000 from the school I committed to.”

j/k (have some extra time at the hotel outside Memphis while waiting out these southern storms on my drive back home)

Arkansas. All of it was nice.

I'll take "Words never expressed before for $500," Alex.

yeah, this is no different than many of the recruits who say that "Academics" are a top priority to them - and then they pick Miami or Alabama. This is just so they don't look money grubbing.. I don't begrudge them for it. But, i'm not sure I believe that its how the majority feel.

But I was told that every team other than Michigan was spending millions to recruit kids.  Hell, there were multiple articles on this very site that outlined how Michigan lost players because of NIL and how every other program had it all figured out.

Anyway, I suspect that it's always going to be hyperbole because there's no danger in being wrong loudly.

Even free agents in the pros are reluctant to say that money is the main reason they signed with a team. It's considered bad optics and there's a cultural revulsion against it.

Money is just the easiest differentiator.... most programs academics, facilities, relationships, etc are going to be very similar to these players but it's very easy to compare $$$ which makes it so persuasive.

Relationships and player development are the most important factors just like academics is the most important factor. Recruits like to say it, but then they go to Alabama anyway because its all just talk.

I imagine that much of the NIL talk was directed at parents or agents working with parents and possibly the players weren’t even fully aware of what offers were being made. 

I love how there is lots of evidence that NIL isn't some huge boogeyman and a major disruptor in high school recruiting but every response in this thread is basically saying these kids are lying in anonymous responses because they don't want to admit that maybe Michigan's coaches are just mediocre recruiters.