What I think the new model will be

[Sean Miller Fan]

The Power 4 schools each create a professional sports organization and start up a new league outside of the NCAA. Call it the American Collegiate Pro Football League or something like that. Fully pro, unions, contracts, salary caps, the whole 9. The schools sell 49% ownership to investors. Like Pitt keeps the controlling 51% share but sells 49% to David Tepper or Art Rooney or whoever. How much would that 49% be worth? Ballpark: $250 million. For the bigger schools: $500 million. Then you run the organization exactly like a pro team.

I envision this league being something like a 24 and under league whether that means you play for 2 years or 6 years. This would help the epidemic of these HS kids playing HS sports at age 19 or 20 to improve their recruitment chances. I think that wrestling kid from Johnstown is almost 30 and still a junior.

What happens to the NCAA? It still exists for the true amateur student athletes. It can still do baseball, volleyball, wrestling, etc.

 

[bayardstreet]

There aren’t any amateur athletics anymore with respect to universities.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

It all has a even more of a no win feeling for Pitt Fb.

 

[bayardstreet]

I wonder what the price tag is for the Penn State wrestling program. Their roster for wrestlers 3 deep at every weight class can’t be cheap and the head coach makes a million dollars a year. Just go out and ask for more money

 

[Las Panteras]

Treat the players as the schools treat the coaches. If a kid leaves Pitt and goes to Ohio State, the Buckeyes buy out his NIL deal.

If guys like Tepper are getting involved, I am quite sure those guys are wise enough to ironclad demand this clause.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I wonder what the price tag is for the Penn State wrestling program. Their roster for wrestlers 3 deep at every weight class can’t be cheap and the head coach makes a million dollars a year. Just go out and ask for more money

Which booster pays those wrestlers? That seems like a weird thing to pay money for because wrestling isn't a team sport. It's like buying up the best tennis players or golfers. Seems kinda weird.

 

[pittdan77]

The Power 4 schools each create a professional sports organization and start up a new league outside of the NCAA.

Over the NFL's dead body.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Over the NFL's dead body.

Why would the NFL care if the P4 starts an Under 24 League? It would be essentially the same thing as now except players would have contracts

 

[pafootballguy]

Which booster pays those wrestlers? That seems like a weird thing to pay money for because wrestling isn't a team sport. It's like buying up the best tennis players or golfers. Seems kinda weird.

Boosters who love the sports are the ones who throw money at them.

 

[Upg bobcat]

Why would the NFL care if the P4 starts an Under 24 League? It would be essentially the same thing as now except players would have contracts

Isn't the average NFL career like 2-3 years? I would think that means most NFL players are out of the league at 25 years of age, so the prime age for most football players has to be like 23-24. NFL would probably be okay with a 22 and under league, but I can't imagine them being okay with anything above that where they would have to be competing with another pro league for the top talent.

 

[pittdan77]

Why would the NFL care if the P4 starts an Under 24 League? It would be essentially the same thing as now except players would have contracts

You're making assumptions. If they're just going to say screw it and make them pros, why should they limit eligibility and/or let them switch leagues? The NFL won't stand for that.

 

[JWB389]

Isn't the average NFL career like 2-3 years? I would think that means most NFL players are out of the league at 25 years of age, so the prime age for most football players has to be like 23-24. NFL would probably be okay with a 22 and under league, but I can't imagine them being okay with anything above that where they would have to be competing with another pro league for the top talent.

The average age of an NFL player is 26.6.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You're making assumptions. If they're just going to say screw it and make them pros, why should they limit eligibility and/or let them switch leagues? The NFL won't stand for that.

So, in your mind, even though college football is ALREADY fully professional, if the P4 left the NCAA and formed an Under 24 league, the NFL would sue them to stop? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? The only thing that is changing is that the players would have contracts and can play until age 24 or whenever they declare for the NFL.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Isn't the average NFL career like 2-3 years? I would think that means most NFL players are out of the league at 25 years of age, so the prime age for most football players has to be like 23-24. NFL would probably be okay with a 22 and under league, but I can't imagine them being okay with anything above that where they would have to be competing with another pro league for the top talent.

The best players would leave for the NFL when they are ready. It would be no different than now in that way.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Boosters who love the sports are the ones who throw money at them.

Yea, it just seems weird to me. Like, is there a rich tennis booster who wants to watch a certain HS kid play tennis at his college? For these individual sports, NIL just seems weird.

 

[pittdan77]

So, in your mind, even though college football is ALREADY fully professional, if the P4 left the NCAA and formed an Under 24 league, the NFL would sue them to stop? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? The only thing that is changing is that the players would have contracts and can play until age 24 or whenever they declare for the NFL.

Your reading skills suck.

 

[JWB389]

They still need to tie athletics to the classroom. Otherwise the schools will begin to bleed fans. Disagree if you must, but alumni made college football what it is. If there is no connection to the player, it’s the USFL playing at my former school.

 

[FireballZ]

Treat the players as the schools treat the coaches. If a kid leaves Pitt and goes to Ohio State, the Buckeyes buy out his NIL deal.

If guys like Tepper are getting involved, I am quite sure those guys are wise enough to ironclad demand this clause.

This is 100% the solution. If programs like Pitt are the new developmental league, then they should get a % of the transfers new NIL deal as a buyout from the next school to subsidize their own NIL. That way, if you're good at identifying and developing, there is a reward to it...in theory...

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

They still need to tie athletics to the classroom. Otherwise the schools will begin to bleed fans. Disagree if you must, but alumni made college football what it is. If there is no connection to the player, it’s the USFL playing at my former school.

I think it'll just be that the player is enrolled in classes, whether it's one class or a full slate. So eligibility would just be to be 24 years old or younger and a college student. But it's fully professional meaning that if Pitt finds a Jordan Addison, they can sell his contract to USC or trade him for some young prospects. By the same token, Pitt can buy the contract of some good player that Akron finds.

 

[Las Panteras]

I have a really stupid question.....

If a kid plans on transferring 4 straight years.....it it not possible that he will not step foot in a classroom once?

 

[pafootballguy]

Yea, it just seems weird to me. Like, is there a rich tennis booster who wants to watch a certain HS kid play tennis at his college? For these individual sports, NIL just seems weird.

Those sports maybe individual in nature but there is still a team aspect and those people want to see the team succeed.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I have a really stupid question.....

If a kid plans on transferring 4 straight years.....it it not possible that he will not step foot in a classroom once?

This is an interesting question. I would think there is an academic eligibility component but if you transfer and the school accepts your 0.0 GPA, does that give you a fresh start and off "academic probation?"

Here's another interesting question. When was the last time a P4 athlete was academically ineligible? That's not even a thing anymore.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

This is an interesting question. I would think there is an academic eligibility component but if you transfer and the school accepts your 0.0 GPA, does that give you a fresh start and off "academic probation?"

No.

The NCAA released what the new rules will look like when the settlement is official. Part of the rules state that for an athlete to be eligible to participate in the settlement money they must satisfy the NCAA's requirements for both full time enrollment and progress towards a degree.

Given that what the NCAA is proposing mirrors what is in the settlement, my guess is that language in some form is in the current version of the settlement.

 

[Charlotteyinzer96]

Isn't the average NFL career like 2-3 years? I would think that means most NFL players are out of the league at 25 years of age, so the prime age for most football players has to be like 23-24. NFL would probably be okay with a 22 and under league, but I can't imagine them being okay with anything above that where they would have to be competing with another pro league for the top talent.

He didn't say they have to stay in that league until 25, just that they can. Same as it is now.

 

[9782978]

It could become like NASCAR, whereby colleges pay to become the “primary sponsors” of state or local professional teams. Pitt could sponsor the Maulers and the Maulers would have to wear Pitt uniforms.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

It could become like NASCAR, whereby colleges pay to become the “primary sponsors” of state or local professional teams. Pitt could sponsor the Maulers and the Maulers would have to wear Pitt uniforms.

More like Mexican soccer where the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon have very popular pro teams in Liga MX.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

He didn't say they have to stay in that league until 25, just that they can. Same as it is now.

I also think that this would help to eliminate the redshirting epidemic in youth sports. These kids are being held back 2, even 3 years and graduating HS at 20, some almost 21 in some states. This is a major major problem as it create real, bonfide unfairness in college sports and its widespread, not 3 people doing it like what the country gets up in arms over. I wished the government would take some action regarding this. I just watched a video of 6th graders throwing down sick dunks in an AAU game. They looked 25 easily.

 

[BigChungus90210]

I also think that this would help to eliminate the redshirting epidemic in youth sports. These kids are being held back 2, even 3 years and graduating HS at 20, some almost 21 in some states. This is a major major problem as it create real, bonfide unfairness in college sports and its widespread, not 3 people doing it like what the country gets up in arms over. I wished the government would take some action regarding this. I just watched a video of 6th graders throwing down sick dunks in an AAU game. They looked 25 easily.

I know of 1 or two kids in my personal life who were held back for, even though never admitted by the parents, athletic reasons. They were both right on the age cutoff for the grades though, so they went from being one of the youngest kids in their grade to the oldest. How many instances do you actually have of people doing that 3 times?? Seems very far fetched.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I know of 1 or two kids in my personal life who were held back for, even though never admitted by the parents, athletic reasons. They were both right on the age cutoff for the grades though, so they went from being one of the youngest kids in their grade to the oldest. How many instances do you actually have of people doing that 3 times?? Seems very far fetched.

When I say held back, I also mean starting school late. Every male born in the summer to sports-minded parents starts school when they are 6. Then what happens sometimes with these kids is that they are held back again once school starts. Baby Gronk, for example, will turn 20 in June a few days before his HS graduation. In PA, he wouldn't be eligible to play in the PIAA his senior year but had he been born a month later, he would be. In PA, you can win a PIAA Baseball Championship in late June and then turn 20 a few days later on July 1. That's a real, legitimate fairness issue.

I think if an Under 24 Pro League is created for teams that leave the NCAA, it would incentivize these parents to not hold their kids back so that they can start getting paid earlier and longer