Thoughts on NIL

[RammerJammer14]

With Saban having an office in the stadium, what are the odds of him taking on an active role with NIL for the University? If it comes down to collecting money and sponsors, this would be a natural fit for him.

Zero. I think people are taking this “office in the stadium” comment way out of context. He is retired. He is not going to be heavily involved in the program, and he absolutely does not need to be. It is extremely rare for good things to happen when a former leader/boss/coach hangs around and continues to directly influence the place he just left. and I only say extremely rare in the off chance that someone can find an example of a successful situation in which a former coach was looking over the shoulder of the new coach. Saban is the GOAT and did amazing things for the program and the university. But the program needs a clean break and DeBoer needs to be able to fully be in control of his staff and the team, if we are going to continue to be a successful program.

At most Saban will be available for DeBoer to question about players, HS recruiting relationships, navigating the university system, etc. But other than that he is likely still around to focus on finishing up the Saban Center that has been in the works for a while and other off-field stuff. O way in heck Nick Saban is going to be doing anything with NIL.

 

[RammerJammer14]

I’m going to say this and it’s going to be controversial and a lot of people are not going to want to hear it. NIL + TP is not like the NFL… it’s more like the MLB. There are restrictions in the NFL and cap limits. In the MLB there are none and you can buy a team.

But here is the thing… how often do the Yankees and Dodgers win? Since 2008 they have the same number of WS rings as one of the poorest teams named the Royals. Just because you can buy a team it doesn’t mean that you’ll dominate. Sure it helps tremendously but in the end building a team is a lot better than buying. Alabama is basically the St Louis Cardinals or Atlanta Braves in this type of structure in which you are not going to win big bidding wars but you can entice enough good players to come because you are Alabama and you have a culture of winning. We need to focus on getting the right players more than the most talented ones.

Ultimately I think something will be done to fix the system because a world without the major powers constantly competing is going to hurt interest. I think should Michigan part ways with Harbaugh then fixing this system becomes a more immediate priority.

I don’t want them to fix it until Kirby and Georgia get punked 😉

 

[bamadwain]

NIL I Hate It! Alabama always had Coach Saban card in it's back pocket were they could use that to play for national championship and be developed and get to the league, now it's all about the money and teams like Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Ohio State and Florida schools are going to be at the top because of all the money and once you get talent a blind squirrel can coach them, also I'm for paying players if set up what it was intended for say Joe Bama over can go sign autograph for a little change and can go do opening for Big Willie's car wash but it hasn't

 

[imauafan]

NIL I Hate It! Alabama always had Coach Saban card in it's back pocket were they could use that to play for national championship and be developed and get to the league, now it's all about the money and teams like Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Ohio State and Florida schools are going to be at the top because of all the money and once you get talent a blind squirrel can coach them, also I'm for paying players if set up what it was intended for say Joe Bama over can go sign autograph for a little change and can go do opening for Big Willie's car wash but it hasn't

False. I think the ability to evaluate and develop talent along with in-game decision making are going to be even more important going forward for the poorer schools to succeed. I think some of these wealthier schools are going to have their moments but ultimately the greed and clash of egos will be their downfall just as it always has been.

 

[BAMAVILLE]

I don’t want them to fix it until Kirby and Georgia get punked 😉

lol they got punked last year by this program ... it will happen again lol

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Zero. I think people are taking this “office in the stadium” comment way out of context. He is retired. He is not going to be heavily involved in the program, and he absolutely does not need to be. It is extremely rare for good things to happen when a former leader/boss/coach hangs around and continues to directly influence the place he just left. and I only say extremely rare in the off chance that someone can find an example of a successful situation in which a former coach was looking over the shoulder of the new coach. Saban is the GOAT and did amazing things for the program and the university. But the program needs a clean break and DeBoer needs to be able to fully be in control of his staff and the team, if we are going to continue to be a successful program.

At most Saban will be available for DeBoer to question about players, HS recruiting relationships, navigating the university system, etc. But other than that he is likely still around to focus on finishing up the Saban Center that has been in the works for a while and other off-field stuff. O way in heck Nick Saban is going to be doing anything with NIL.

Making a couple of hours of phone calls a day compared to 14-hour days would be retirement to Coach Saban...

 

[CoolBreeze]

Bama and UGA fans should be boycotting Yellawood

Yea, rammed earth is much more solid anyway.

 

[CoolBreeze]

I’m going to say this and it’s going to be controversial and a lot of people are not going to want to hear it. NIL + TP is not like the NFL… it’s more like the MLB. There are restrictions in the NFL and cap limits. In the MLB there are none and you can buy a team.

But here is the thing… how often do the Yankees and Dodgers win? Since 2008 they have the same number of WS rings as one of the poorest teams named the Royals. Just because you can buy a team it doesn’t mean that you’ll dominate. Sure it helps tremendously but in the end building a team is a lot better than buying. Alabama is basically the St Louis Cardinals or Atlanta Braves in this type of structure in which you are not going to win big bidding wars but you can entice enough good players to come because you are Alabama and you have a culture of winning. We need to focus on getting the right players more than the most talented ones.

Ultimately I think something will be done to fix the system because a world without the major powers constantly competing is going to hurt interest. I think should Michigan part ways with Harbaugh then fixing this system becomes a more immediate priority.

That is the best take I have seen on this issue, thank you.

 

[BAMAVILLE]

This has been some good convo ... made me want to do another look at the recruiting rankings since 2020 per 247Sports with the two teams that played in the championship this year:

2020: Meatchicken 10th – Washington 16th
2021: Meatchicken 13th – Washington 30th
2022: Meatchicken 9th – Washington 95th (only had 10 commits)
2023: Meatchicken 17th – Washington 26th

In comparison, Texas A&M who's had more NIL involvement in both recruiting and the transfer portal had a better recruiting class than both schools for all four classes, including the top class in 2022 and has 0 to show for it.

 

[HighlandOak]

Any chance that CNS puts money in the collective??? Anything preventing him from doing so? Might be a way for him to smooth over some of the recruiting issues. Or that may just be a crack pipe dream because he despises the current structure of it. Think about the pitch he could offer, "hey kid I have a Mercedes and Ferrari dealership we can make something happen. Also I have a lot of pull in the NFL..."

Why would he? He doesn't have to coach this team any more.

 

[bamadwain]

False. I think the ability to evaluate and develop talent along with in-game decision making are going to be even more important going forward for the poorer schools to succeed. I think some of these wealthier schools are going to have their moments but ultimately the greed and clash of egos will be their downfall just as it always has been.

Keep dreaming my friend

 

[Snuffy Smith]

Interesting article on how this is really supposed to work & explains why Saban went medieval on Jimbo. I have not looked into exactly what got FSU slapped, but what the intent was supposed to be was for these guys to be able to get paid for the NIL regardless of which school they went to. What I don’t understand is how this got off the rails so quickly and why the NCAA feels like they cannot enforce what they set up as rules of the program. Pretty clear that this is happening and they turning a blind eye.

Will The NCAA Intervene On NIL Deals Tied To Enrollment? - Above the Law

That's starting to become the focus of some questions surrounding recent public offers made to current and prospective college athletes.

abovethelaw.com

 

[TideEngineer08]

I can't watch because I work at the stadium on game days, but this NIL relationship is between boosters and players. The regular fan doesn't factor in.

Then why is Andrew Bone telling me that now more than ever I need to donate to Yea Alabama?

 

[HighlandOak]

Then why is Andrew Bone telling me that now more than ever I need to donate to Yea Alabama?

The only money they'll get from me is for my parking pass and my daughter's upcoming tuition.

 

[81usaf92]

I can't watch because I work at the stadium on game days, but this NIL relationship is between boosters and players. The regular fan doesn't factor in.

Here is the thing… most of your boosters are regular fans. Our two largest booster sources are REC and TP.

REC the annual cost is 335 bucks a year. Most of that goes to chapter dues and the rest goes to the UA AD. I know alot of people have this perception that REC is a bunch of rich fat cats wearing Illuminati robes, but really it’s mostly middle class fans that want to see 2 scrimmages, a NSD party, and a few guest speakers a year. The point is that your average REC booster is paying to see two scrimmages and is happy with that.

TP is the season ticket people. They pay far more a year for tickets with the donation on top. So you are talking about 60-70k people with a donation fee on top of 8 games. I’m not seeing the millions enough to compete with other programs.

If you really wanna see how much our boosters really contribute then look at how many times we have tried to renovate BDS or try to make a modern basketball arena only to be told “we don’t have the money”. What you consider boosters have largely told Byrne “we ain’t paying another dime because we are broke enough” to which he has mostly had to beg a few millionaires for favors. Key word millionaires…

My point is that we either start contributing or prepare for harsh winters. Because relying on boosters is not going to work. We just don’t have the rich alumni base that most schools and states do.

 

[HighlandOak]

Here is the thing… most of your boosters are regular fans. Our two largest booster sources are REC and TP.

REC the annual cost is 335 bucks a year. Most of that goes to chapter dues and the rest goes to the UA AD. I know alot of people have this perception that REC is a bunch of rich fat cats wearing Illuminati robes, but really it’s mostly middle class fans that want to see 2 scrimmages, a NSD party, and a few guest speakers a year. The point is that your average REC booster is paying to see two scrimmages and is happy with that.

TP is the season ticket people. They pay far more a year for tickets with the donation on top. So you are talking about 60-70k people with a donation fee on top of 8 games. I’m not seeing the millions enough to compete with other programs.

If you really wanna see how much our boosters really contribute then look at how many times we have tried to renovate BDS or try to make a modern basketball arena only to be told “we don’t have the money”. What you consider boosters have largely told Byrne “we ain’t paying another dime because we are broke enough” to which he has mostly had to beg a few millionaires for favors. Key word millionaires…

My point is that we either start contributing or prepare for harsh winters. Because relying on boosters is not going to work. We just don’t have the rich alumni base that most schools and states do.

I've got a good coat.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Here is the thing… most of your boosters are regular fans. Our two largest booster sources are REC and TP.

REC the annual cost is 335 bucks a year. Most of that goes to chapter dues and the rest goes to the UA AD. I know alot of people have this perception that REC is a bunch of rich fat cats wearing Illuminati robes, but really it’s mostly middle class fans that want to see 2 scrimmages, a NSD party, and a few guest speakers a year. The point is that your average REC booster is paying to see two scrimmages and is happy with that.

TP is the season ticket people. They pay far more a year for tickets with the donation on top. So you are talking about 60-70k people with a donation fee on top of 8 games. I’m not seeing the millions enough to compete with other programs.

If you really wanna see how much our boosters really contribute then look at how many times we have tried to renovate BDS or try to make a modern basketball arena only to be told “we don’t have the money”. What you consider boosters have largely told Byrne “we ain’t paying another dime because we are broke enough” to which he has mostly had to beg a few millionaires for favors. Key word millionaires…

My point is that we either start contributing or prepare for harsh winters. Because relying on boosters is not going to work. We just don’t have the rich alumni base that most schools and states do.

Isn't the irony amazing to behold? For decades we've been told "Alabama cheats." It seems now that literal cheating has been made legal we find out perhaps Alabama was never cheating at all (in relative terms, I'm not completely ignorant) because we didn't have the money for it!

 

[81usaf92]

I've got a good coat.

Good for you

 

[dWarriors88]

Is anyone actually frustrated with our NIL Collective relative to the other universities? We should be bringing Brinks Bank trucks up to these player's dorm rooms to get them to fight with us. If every one of these kids is leaving for money, why the heck aren't we fighting fire with fire?

18 dollars a month from me isn't going to convince anyone to stay, where are the multi-millionaires who graduated from Alabama? Why aren't they stepping up to put a back stop on this issue?

 

[81usaf92]

Isn't the irony amazing to behold? For decades we've been told "Alabama cheats." It seems now that literal cheating has been made legal we find out perhaps Alabama was never cheating at all (in relative terms, I'm not completely ignorant) because we didn't have the money for it!

My thing is that everyone paints the REC as a bunch of Logan Young high dollar types. I used to think that before I joined but I’m like “if this is the booster club everyone fears then wait until Saban retires”.

The thing is we aren’t like Ohio St like we try to act. We don’t really have this large rich and committed alumni base that we can rely on to pay the bill to keep the lights on for us. I’m not saying we are broke, but I’m just saying we don’t have many safeguards to fall back on like others. The failure of the Crimson Standard should have tipped everyone off to how well we actually are supported by the boosters.