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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/TheUltimate721 on 2024-01-12 15:54:17.
A couple of key points
Rhule pointed out there are no “contracts” to NIL right now, leading to a lot of chaos.
“We can’t even have the conversation with the players about the money. So now you have all throughout college football, you have players getting agents. Sometimes they’re great agents, NFL agents. Sometimes they’re not certified. There’s no NFLPA regulating it. They’re dealing with third parties for each school. Each school has a different amount. There’s no system to it.”
Rhule indicates here that he is not allowed to participate in NIL negotiations. That is a conversation that is supposed to happen between the collective and the athlete themselves with the schools absent for the most part. Recent events show us though that clearly not everyone follows this rule.
Rhule added that teams don’t necessarily have to be honest about NIL. They can lure someone away with a high dollar amount. He could transfer to somewhere else and then the new place could say they don’t have that money anymore.
“And, oh, by the way, once you transfer you’re stuck at the second school. So you actually get penalized for recruiting a kid out of high school. He can leave for more money somewhere else but if he goes somewhere else, he’s stuck until he graduates. So there is no system and I think it’s important people know that. Because you know what, Pat, some good coaches are losing their jobs and some good programs they’re building players up and those players are leaving.”
It’s worth noting this was before the NCAA suspended the two-time transfer rule for the upcoming season, but I think the point actually strengthens with this in mind. The lack of regulations around the transfer portal largely de-incentivizes development when you can get players already starting for existing power programs in the portal.
Rhule points out that agents can sometimes take up to and perhaps beyond 20% of their NIL earnings, and that number has to go higher when factoring in taxes.
“I just don’t think people should be walking into your program and offering a player on your roster money. Like, that wouldn’t happen in the NFL. You’d have to trade them. You have rules. … So I worry about the players. Some players are going to get a lot. But a lot of players are going to end up in the portal with nothing. A lot of players are going to be told they’re getting X, Y and Z, and getting nothing.”
“And not have the conversation to get rid of it. Just make it competitive and make it real. We’re fighting for players to make money, but also not get screwed along the way. I think letting the schools get involved, like, I didn’t take this job until they handed me a contract.”
“I’ve definitely dealt with [players demanding money or threatening to hit the portal]. I’ve had guys come in and say to me, ‘So and so from such and such a school has reached out. They’ve got this amount of money.’ And in some cases I’m like, dude, you should take that. just try to make sure that they understand … words are words, once you transfer you’re locked into that.”
Again the two-time transfer rule has since been suspended, so they’re not necessarily locked in anymore. As he points out though, not all transfers are created equal.
If a guy is a backup and wants to go into the portal to see if they can start, Rhule doesn’t mind it.
If guys are going to go out and see, ‘Hey, Coach, can I go and see if I can get more money?’ I don’t think they probably need to be here. But if it’s because they want to play, I was a backup, I was a walk-on at Penn State, I understand that. I’m always going to help guys if they want to play somewhere. But we always try to help guys and manage it honest and straightforward.
TL;DR:
- NIL Chaos: There are no standardized contracts in NIL deals, which is what in large part leads to a lot of the chaos we see today. Players are hiring agents, some uncertified, with varying NIL practices at each school.
- Transparency Issues: Teams can lure players with high NIL offers and then retract them post-transfer. Players were (until the two-time transfer rule suspension) stuck at the new school, highlighting a lack of system and regulation. Agents fees can also take a significant percentage of earnings, plus taxes. Players risk being promised funds that they never receive.
- Transfer Portal Chaos: The transfer portal has made tampering with opposing team rosters easier than ever before. It actively discourages player development in favor of acquiring starters from other teams in the transfer portal in a lot of scenarios. The suspension of the two-time transfer rule, while it will help in some scenarios, will only exaggerate these already existing issues.