NI L for Liar?

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Happy Friday, folks.

Long one today with some juicy stuff about possibly the largest NIL deal to date gone wrong, so let's get into it.

Huge news for the University of Michigan as it was announced that despite more flirting with the NFL than Rihanna with LeBron, Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh informed school administrators that he'd be returning to rep Jordan yet again. Unsurprisingly, this will come with a well-deserved contract extension and raise.

However, despite getting their guy back, things might not be all rosy in Ann Arbor, and not just because it's cold af up there rn. There are reports that despite Michigan President (separate role than Governor) Santa Ono voicing his support for the ball coach, school AD Warde Manuel isn't quite so cheery about running it back.

Can't say I totally blame him, as the situation isn't too far removed from your wife telling you that after some consideration, she wasn't going to be leaving you for her personal trainer. The contract extension talks are apparently stalled, though, as the school is trying to add a massive buyout to Harbaugh's new contract to compensate for losing him in the future, not exactly a far-fetched idea given his actions over the last two years. They've invested in him, and now it's time for him to hug back.

On the field, this is massive news for the team which already returns many key pieces from this year's Big Ten championship squad. It also makes UM an early favorite to make another potential Playoff run. Now, all that's left to wonder is who they lose to in the first round and which NFL jobs will come open for Harbaugh to publicly interview with again next year🤷

On the Big Ten Commissioner front, a week removed from the Warren to Chi Town news, a larger list of likely replacement candidates has surfaced. In addition to the already-mentioned sitting ACC commissioner Jim Phillips (former Northwestern AD), floated names include Ohio State AD Gene Smith and UCLA AD Martin Jarmond, both (soon to be) Big Ten conference athletic directors.

The underclassman NFL draft declaration deadline was on Monday, January 16, so if a star underclassman didn't post an edit on Twitter with #RespectMyDecision and #AGTG, they'll be suiting up for their team for another year.

Though there was speculation that Heisman finalist Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud was considering running it back for the Buckeyes (lol, right...), he announced his intention to declare with just hours to spare. Even with the millions in NIL money that top college players now earn, the earnings for a player with Stroud's projected draft position (likely top 4 pick) still far outweigh what he would make in college. His signing bonus when he hears his name called in April will be more than $20 million.

However, most players don't fall into this lofty category, and many collectives are recognizing that their support (see: $$$) could be put to use not just for recruiting high school prospects but also for bringing back their current players who might be undecided between going pro and coming back for another year of school.

One such collective which has found success has been the University of Michigan's Champions Circle, a collective which has managed to entice Heisman-contending running back Blake Corum and a few other key starters to suit up for the Maize and Blue again next season. In total, the "One More Year" fund has raised more than $100K, a number which is likely to continue to grow as fans want to support their players for making such a beneficial decision for the school.

If you were tired of refreshing your team's message boards for the latest player to enter the portal, you can give your thumb a break. The transfer portal window closed on Wednesday, January 18. This marked the end of the 45 day window, which means that while players already in the portal can still choose their destinations, no new underclassmen can enter the portal.

You can go ahead and learn a few new players' names, but don't get too attached. There's still another portal window which opens after spring practices on May 1 for 15 days.

There has also been updated transfer guidance for second time entrants. Second timers are no longer immediately eligible, meaning a return (at least in part) to the one-year sit-out rule. These cases will be handled on an individual basis, though the NCAA has clarified that waivers will be PS5-during-the-pandemic-level difficult to obtain. Waivers might be granted for:

• A documented injury or mental health concern

• "Exigent circumstances" like abuse or assault

There's a good chance that this translates to fewer transfers as players are deterred by the threat of not getting to play for an entire season. However, prior to the one-time free transfer rule, the NCAA had a transfer waiver process in place, and its decision making process was atrocious. Hoping they can get it right this time.

Basketball is in full swing, and if you're not following along now, how do you ever hope to win your office March Madness bracket contest in a few months? Luckily, The Field of 68 Daily has you covered with the best CBB coverage in the game. Time to finally get back at Daryl who you just know was the one to eat your yogurt even though it was labelled...

Quick question: do you have an employer?

Chances are, if you have a job, you're not doing it for free. You likely signed some contract where you promised said boss your work in exchange for a salary. What would you do if you did your part, and suddenly your boss said, "So about that salary... I spent your wages on Bitcoin and now can't pay you"?

Personally, I'd respond "Yeah, me too" before doing a quick Google search for lawyers to sue the degenerate pants off the guy.

That's pretty much what is happening at Florida right now with the news that 4 star quarterback signee Jaden Rashada was promised $13.85 million only to be told AFTER HE SIGNED that the school's collective didn't actually have it.

Recruiting in college football has always been a mess. However, if recruiting was bad before, it has only become even more unbearable for coaches over the last few years with the introduction of the transfer portal and, even more destabilizing, NIL.

Though it's still not legal to explicitly pay players to come to a school, the current market functions pretty darn close to it. Schools (or collectives) entice players with promises of NIL offers, and though some of these are the valid endorsement deals you'd expect to come to a star quarterback at USC or Alabama, many are pretty loose with what they require of athletes. They're all but promised to players before they ever achieve anything at the collegiate ranks.

The unbridled nature of this market was brought to light this past summer when it was revealed that incoming freshman Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was offered a 4-year, $8 million deal from Spyre Sports, the collective for the University of Tennessee. Unsurprisingly, he committed to the Vols just a week later.

Similar outrageous numbers are being reported for other top high school quarterbacks, and a few months after Nico Iam not even gonna try to type that one again made his future team known, fellow top ranked Cali quarterback Jaden Rashada announced his commitment to Miami, shocking many in-the-know insiders and reportedly turning down the rival Florida Gators' $11 million offer for the Canes' measly 9 in the process.

Then, amidst Miami's disastrous season, Rashada flipped his commitment to the Gators, and first-year head coach Billy Napier managed to fend off UM's own first-year head coach Mario Cristobal and get Rashada to sign during the early national signing period.

So that's the end, right? Like the rest of the class, Rashada has already gotten his complimentary pretzels (or Biscoffs if you fly United🤤) on his flight across the country to enroll in Gainesville and begin to learn the playbook with his future teammates.

Except, that's not the end of it, and Rashada and his family have instead requested that the Florida administration release him from his binding letter of intent so that he can instead sign and enroll in another school without sitting out a year. This morning, the university did, at least saving a bit of face in the midst of the debacle that was the fumbled NIL deal.

For the young signal caller, it's likely that he plays closer to home with some potential landing spots include Cal, Washington, Colorado, and Arizona State. However, for a recruitment that has heavily centered around NIL opportunities from the beginning, Rashada's market value has certainly taken a hit. No school is going to be willing to offer anything near $13 mil.

Things could get even messier for Florida. In addition to the negative storylines painting the program in bad light, the Rashada camp could still actually fight to force Florida to honor the agreed-upon deal. If the collective refuses to pay him, the case for "payment contingent on enrollment" (aka an illegal deal) is an easy one to make in court. The Gators' collective might be forced to shell out millions to settle and not even land their guy.

Unfortunately, this isn't even the first time that there has been controversy surrounding empty guarantees when it comes to NIL. Most believe that USC receiver Jordan Addison was enticed to transfer from Pitt to USC after receiving some lofty NIL promises, promises which were rumored to have not been fulfilled, thus prompting him to hold out of early team activities. On the other side the equation, think of the athletes who are not fulfilling their ends of these very minimal agreements like monthly autograph signings or appearances.

Many players are choosing schools out of high school based primarily on NIL promises, and with the free transfer rule, they're pretty much securing the bag and leaving as soon as the money hits the bank account. When these players do leave, there is really no recourse which teams can take as again, explicit pay-for-play is not allowed. If they do attempt to withhold payments, they're setting themselves up instead for players suing, and a collective refusing to pay a player because they transferred to a new team sounds a whoooole lot like pay to play.

It's still too early in the process to say exactly how this all plays out, but the next few months will be monumental in establishing the framework for how NIL-based recruiting and contracts will play out going forward.

And as to not end on such a gloomy note on NIL as a whole, there have actually been some really positive effects, many of which weren't even intended. Many deals are structured as to incentivize academic excellence, like class attendance and completing degrees. We're seeing many players who would have otherwise declared for the NFL draft early, often earlier than they are truly ready for, coming back to school for another year, no longer forced to risk flaming out in the pros without a college education to fall back on in order to provide some financial assistance to their families.

Many deals also have provisions regarding off field behavior. Though actual data is hard to come by, many have recognized that the number of arrests among student athletes seems to have fallen dramatically since the introduction of NIL, possibly a result of cold, hard cash being on the line.

Unfortunately for the Gator faithful, this is a bad look for Florida, and the program might be on the receiving end of unflattering NIL references for years to come.

Some might criticize the kid, and if it turns out that this is a case of him trying to get some extra money beyond what was promised by putting the Gators in a bad position, this might be warranted. However, I encourage you to just consider what you would do if you were promised $13 million to make a major life choice only to have the offer pulled AFTER you've signed a binding deal. It would piss me off, and I ask whether you'd be able to trust that administration to help you achieve your goals for the future?

The Jaden Rashada-Florida situation will be a case study for NIL-driven recruiting for years to come and could be the shock to the system that many (myself included) believed necessary to reign in the market. It will impact how schools use NIL to entice prospects, and it will hopefully serve as a warning to recruits making such huge choices purely based on short-term financial promises, deals which pale in comparison to the types of longer-term NFL deals which could come with a few years of development in a proven system with coaches that a player and his family can trust.

Many have expressed concern that the growing offers being thrown around were unsustainable, and the entire sport would be the casualty. I never subscribed to this doomsday way of thinking, but I recognized that change was coming, and though it might cause short term pain when the market corrected itself, it would be in the best interests of the game's long-term future given the hand it has been dealt.

There's a chance that this inspires more high school players to reconsider just how important NIL promises are to a college decision. It might also inspire more collectives to reconsider their own promises and nail down just how much they are willing, and physically able, to offer these kids.

Or it could be an event which makes headlines for a week and nothing changes and we read about the exact same situation again next year. What do I know?🙃

Cheers to another day,

Trey