A few weeks ago, there was a thread about our AD. I made the comment that the most important issue that needed to be focused on was NIL and that we would need to raise substantial amounts of money in order to compete. To date, the only response I've seen from Pitt is around the "Forged Here" effort. My read on that effort can be summed up in two words; small ball. Will these efforts help? Maybe a little. Will this make us competitive? No way.
First, it's important to recognize that IMO, the vast majority of NIL deals are really pay for play deals that are thinly veiled. The number of college athletes who could command a seven figure promotional deal directly from a global brand is very, very small. A few may have the clout on social media to create and monetize a large following. The only good news is that there are very few players who will be able to command multi-million dollar deals. Without a major change in approach, Pitt will never, ever compete in this arena. Painful as it is, when we develop the occasional superstar player, they are going to be susceptible to poaching. Absent any serious rule changes (and enforcement) this will be a reality in college football and the Pitts of the world will simply have to accept it.
The more impactful problem with NIL (at least from Pitts perspective) is not the risk of losing the Jordan Addison's, it's the risk of losing good solid starters to other schools who will flaunt the rules. If you throw in the impact of NIL in recruiting, Pitt is going to be at a severe disadvantage. It will become increasingly difficult to recruit high 3 star and 4 star players (forget about 5 star). When we do hit on a diamond in the rough player who develops into a star we will be challenged to keep that player on the roster.
Pitt is at a major, major crossroad. To date, HL and the administration has tried to follow the letter of the law in terms of NIL. They are trying to help players secure local, legitimate NIL deals. These are small potato deals. They may help keep the mid-tier players on board, but will have no impact on the super star player or the super star recruit. Pitt needs to realize that they are in a street fight and following Marquis of Queensbury rules is a prescription to get your brains beaten in. My prediction is that Pitt will continue to muddle along in the NIL world until a new Chancellor is in place. The new Chancellor will have to determine if we want to at least try to mix it up with the big boys or if we're going to accept being a second (or third) tier football and basketball school. Based on past history, the outcome should be fairly predictable.
Cruzer
.
First, it's important to recognize that IMO, the vast majority of NIL deals are really pay for play deals that are thinly veiled. The number of college athletes who could command a seven figure promotional deal directly from a global brand is very, very small. A few may have the clout on social media to create and monetize a large following. The only good news is that there are very few players who will be able to command multi-million dollar deals. Without a major change in approach, Pitt will never, ever compete in this arena. Painful as it is, when we develop the occasional superstar player, they are going to be susceptible to poaching. Absent any serious rule changes (and enforcement) this will be a reality in college football and the Pitts of the world will simply have to accept it.
The more impactful problem with NIL (at least from Pitts perspective) is not the risk of losing the Jordan Addison's, it's the risk of losing good solid starters to other schools who will flaunt the rules. If you throw in the impact of NIL in recruiting, Pitt is going to be at a severe disadvantage. It will become increasingly difficult to recruit high 3 star and 4 star players (forget about 5 star). When we do hit on a diamond in the rough player who develops into a star we will be challenged to keep that player on the roster.
Pitt is at a major, major crossroad. To date, HL and the administration has tried to follow the letter of the law in terms of NIL. They are trying to help players secure local, legitimate NIL deals. These are small potato deals. They may help keep the mid-tier players on board, but will have no impact on the super star player or the super star recruit. Pitt needs to realize that they are in a street fight and following Marquis of Queensbury rules is a prescription to get your brains beaten in. My prediction is that Pitt will continue to muddle along in the NIL world until a new Chancellor is in place. The new Chancellor will have to determine if we want to at least try to mix it up with the big boys or if we're going to accept being a second (or third) tier football and basketball school. Based on past history, the outcome should be fairly predictable.
Cruzer
.
