In the past, when a college team makes a dramatic jump in recruiting, it very often led to rumors (and many times truth) that there was improper recruiting going on. Our jump in basketball recruiting this year would be an example that might raise eyebrows to outsiders. Now, with NIL, if a school makes a jump, it could be legally better deals for the players aka “student athletes”.
I do not have a full understanding of NIL. I would like someone in the know to help explain it in simple terms. In other words, are there limitations? Could someone like Tyson come to a recruit and say we will pay you $1 mill through an NIL contract if you come to Arkansas? IS that what Phil Knight is doing at Oregon?
I don’t know specifically what Muss & Co. are doing but I’m pretty confident that he has analyzed the rule and figured out the best ways to utilize it. The Flagship program at UA sure doesn’t hurt.
NIL or not, pay for play and improper inducements to attend a certain school are still banned. And payments of “more than market value,” whatever that means, are still banned. You probably couldn’t pay a kid $50,000 for one afternoon signing autographs but you might be able to pay $50k for 10 afternoons, for instance.
I’m also sure that there are some whispers elsewhere. But it’s also true that without NIL, and without 5-stars, Muss built a team that was good enough to get to the Elite Eight and give the eventual NC their toughest tournament game. That after he took Nevada from nowhere to a big winner (and landed a 5-star there).