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Per The Athletic:
Five-star recruit in Class of 2023 signs agreement with collective that could pay him more than $8 million
First, note that this is someone from the class of 2023, not the already signed 2022. Also, read some of the article I have quoted below ... The Athletic met with the lawyers who drafted the contract, and they were allowed to read it so long as they kept identities confidential.
Second, my quick thoughts:
From the comments section the scuttlebutt (meaning pure conjecture and rumor) is that this is the SoCal QB, Nico Iamaleava, that recently visited Tennessee. He had glowing remarks about his trip and about how they had laid out the NIL and everything else. Here is what Rival's Adam Gorney had to say:
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’ll say this - more visits will happen and things could definitely change because Alabama and Georgia will be contenders in the SEC, Oregon is going to play a major role here and others could slide in the mix, too. But the Tennessee visit was huge for Nico Iamaleava as comfort, play style and love from the fan base and coaching staff are going to be factors he considers along with NIL potential. I’ve been told by numerous people now that playing in the SEC is a major draw but I think the Ducks are also very much in this because of the Nike considerations. We will see. Tennessee absolutely did everything possible to convince Iamaleava it was the right spot. I’ll give the Vols the slightest edge right now with the caveat more trips could sway his opinion.
Backing up this is the fact that the lawyer who was interviewed was from SoCal and a contributor to the article was a former Vol bear writer. Also, the Athletic recently published an article on the UT "Collective" so there is certainly some smoke that UTjr just bought a 5* QB.
Now to the article. It's behind a paywall. You can sign up for a year for $1 per year. So, I will just put a few things here.
"On Friday, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 signed an agreement with a school’s NIL collective that could pay him more than $8 million by the end of his junior year of college, The Athletic has learned. He’ll be paid $350,000 almost immediately, followed by monthly payouts escalating to more than $2 million per year once he begins his college career, in exchange for making public appearances and taking part in social media promotions and other NIL activities “on behalf of (the collective) or a third party.”
First, I can't imagine that you could get paid while a junior in high school and that not run afoul of the rules of pay for play. Most state laws say you can't give NIL to induce attendance of a particular school, and you can't strike deals until you are a student.
"Lawyer Mike Caspino, who drafted the contract, allowed The Athletic to review and verify the contract in exchange for keeping the player and collectives’ identities anonymous. It provides a window into how donor-driven third parties tied to specific schools operate.
As per NCAA rules, the contract explicitly states, “nothing in this Agreement constitutes any form of inducement for (the athlete) to enroll at any school and/or join any athletic team.” There is no mention of any specific university, only that he be “enrolled at an NCAA member institution and a member of the football team at such institution,” ostensibly to avoid violating the NCAA’s pay-for-play rule. The only specific circumstances by which the collective could terminate the contract early is if the player violates a confidentiality clause or a clause about conducting himself with “the utmost character and integrity.”
Sure, you get paid by the UTjr Collective, if that is who it is, but you don't have to go to UTjr. Makes no sense. The article goes on to say:
But in exchange for receiving his lucrative advances, the player hands over to the collective exclusive rights to use of his NIL, which would then negotiate outside opportunities on his behalf. In theory, that could dissuade him from entering the transfer portal, as he would not be able to make paid appearances promoting his next school.
Which basically ties him to the program.
"The fact that a high school junior has been promised more than $8 million to entice him toward a specific school — even if not put in writing — no doubt will horrify college administrators, many of them already frustrated by the NCAA’s inability to police NIL."
A final part of the article:
"Blake Lawrence, the founder of the NIL marketing platform Opendorse, said a deal that high seems like an outlier but added, “Whatever casual sports fans or coaches think student-athletes are earning from collectives, they’re (undershooting) by 10X. While $2 million (a year) is wild, $200,000 isn’t, but most people are thinking they’re getting $20,000.”
Five-star recruit in Class of 2023 signs agreement with collective that could pay him more than $8 million
Five-star recruit in Class of 2023 signs agreement with collective that could pay him more than $8 million
First, note that this is someone from the class of 2023, not the already signed 2022. Also, read some of the article I have quoted below ... The Athletic met with the lawyers who drafted the contract, and they were allowed to read it so long as they kept identities confidential.
Second, my quick thoughts:
- Before some nimrod here comes @ me, I am all for players getting paid for their NIL. When you see Lincoln Riley buying an $17 million LA home in Palos Verdes with 7 fireplaces (in SoCal), I am even more for the players getting theirs. I am just not sure that NIL is going to work if this is just the start.
- Sheesh, this is going to get really ugly before it gets better. I can't imagine trying to actually coach a team and have to deal with all this. School will have to have teams of staff to track all this.
- I am really glad we got our natty this year ... goodness knows what this is going to look like in the next 5 years. I will be able to point out we got ours pre-NIL.
From the comments section the scuttlebutt (meaning pure conjecture and rumor) is that this is the SoCal QB, Nico Iamaleava, that recently visited Tennessee. He had glowing remarks about his trip and about how they had laid out the NIL and everything else. Here is what Rival's Adam Gorney had to say:
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’ll say this - more visits will happen and things could definitely change because Alabama and Georgia will be contenders in the SEC, Oregon is going to play a major role here and others could slide in the mix, too. But the Tennessee visit was huge for Nico Iamaleava as comfort, play style and love from the fan base and coaching staff are going to be factors he considers along with NIL potential. I’ve been told by numerous people now that playing in the SEC is a major draw but I think the Ducks are also very much in this because of the Nike considerations. We will see. Tennessee absolutely did everything possible to convince Iamaleava it was the right spot. I’ll give the Vols the slightest edge right now with the caveat more trips could sway his opinion.
Backing up this is the fact that the lawyer who was interviewed was from SoCal and a contributor to the article was a former Vol bear writer. Also, the Athletic recently published an article on the UT "Collective" so there is certainly some smoke that UTjr just bought a 5* QB.
Now to the article. It's behind a paywall. You can sign up for a year for $1 per year. So, I will just put a few things here.
"On Friday, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 signed an agreement with a school’s NIL collective that could pay him more than $8 million by the end of his junior year of college, The Athletic has learned. He’ll be paid $350,000 almost immediately, followed by monthly payouts escalating to more than $2 million per year once he begins his college career, in exchange for making public appearances and taking part in social media promotions and other NIL activities “on behalf of (the collective) or a third party.”
First, I can't imagine that you could get paid while a junior in high school and that not run afoul of the rules of pay for play. Most state laws say you can't give NIL to induce attendance of a particular school, and you can't strike deals until you are a student.
"Lawyer Mike Caspino, who drafted the contract, allowed The Athletic to review and verify the contract in exchange for keeping the player and collectives’ identities anonymous. It provides a window into how donor-driven third parties tied to specific schools operate.
As per NCAA rules, the contract explicitly states, “nothing in this Agreement constitutes any form of inducement for (the athlete) to enroll at any school and/or join any athletic team.” There is no mention of any specific university, only that he be “enrolled at an NCAA member institution and a member of the football team at such institution,” ostensibly to avoid violating the NCAA’s pay-for-play rule. The only specific circumstances by which the collective could terminate the contract early is if the player violates a confidentiality clause or a clause about conducting himself with “the utmost character and integrity.”
Sure, you get paid by the UTjr Collective, if that is who it is, but you don't have to go to UTjr. Makes no sense. The article goes on to say:
But in exchange for receiving his lucrative advances, the player hands over to the collective exclusive rights to use of his NIL, which would then negotiate outside opportunities on his behalf. In theory, that could dissuade him from entering the transfer portal, as he would not be able to make paid appearances promoting his next school.
Which basically ties him to the program.
"The fact that a high school junior has been promised more than $8 million to entice him toward a specific school — even if not put in writing — no doubt will horrify college administrators, many of them already frustrated by the NCAA’s inability to police NIL."
A final part of the article:
"Blake Lawrence, the founder of the NIL marketing platform Opendorse, said a deal that high seems like an outlier but added, “Whatever casual sports fans or coaches think student-athletes are earning from collectives, they’re (undershooting) by 10X. While $2 million (a year) is wild, $200,000 isn’t, but most people are thinking they’re getting $20,000.”
Five-star recruit in Class of 2023 signs agreement with collective that could pay him more than $8 million
