I have said this before - these days and relatively speaking, $500k to maintain a level of success in higher revenue college sports is crumbs.
The current landscape is untenable for Valpo (or any mid major).
Valpo discovers the player. Valpo recruits the player. Valpo develops the player. And then a big school can step in and scoop the player up without recourse. It’s the worst possible position for Valpo.
To be clear, I don’t blame the players. They should get a cut of the obscene amounts of money in college athletics. So what should Valpo do?
Roger has shown an ability to find, sign, and develop under recruited high school and prep players. We need to get these guys to sign 4 year NIL contracts (hopefully at reasonable prices). Maybe the contract is guaranteed. Maybe each year is a school option. Maybe the contract contains a way for the school to end it early. Have the contract contain performance bonuses for all-league or player of the year. The contract would contain a provision to allow the player to leave for another school who wants to pay them more but Valpo would be compensated. Essentially the power conference school would need to buy the contract from Valpo.
I wish college athletics were different but this is the world we live in. This will be the only way for Valpo to survive. Find underpriced assets and then flip them.
You might sign a high school guy who doesn’t pan out but that’s the cost of business. We need to take advantage of the market inefficiencies in high school recruits (like Valpo did in the European market in the 90s and Canada more recently).
Crazy as this sounds, give the players NIL buy also include a buyout clause.
as I write this, I feel high revenue college athletics is really going to hell. Kid majors are getting their butts kicked in and men’s college hoop I declining. Women’s college hoop is currently on the upswing thanks to likeable players like Caitlin Vlark, Paige Burkers and Juju Watkins.
If we somehow came up with the money and the boys came back, what happens next year? How about Stafford? What if Pettigrew is good? How much will a portal big we need cost?
Are we worried that some credits might not transfer, or if another school doesn't have the same major? Sorry, ignore that, I was being sarcastic.
"We have screwed up college sports for 1%... 1% of players who probably make all the money, but we're going to end up screwing up the 99% who actually need college (sports) to get a free education..."
— Charles Barkley
https://twitter.com/NILvsNLI/status/1891274443164373256
If we somehow came up with the money and the boys came back, what happens next year? How about Stafford? What if Pettigrew is good? How much will a portal big we need cost?
Are we worried that some credits might not transfer, or if another school doesn't have the same major? Sorry, ignore that, I was being sarcastic.
Best thing I've read all week!
Totally agree that if it is considered legal, that we sign folks to a 4 year NIL contract with their scholarship, and if they get a certain amount, we have a large buyout amount or a % of what they would be getting from the larger school. If we're going to treat them like professionals, let's go all in with the contract language that is added for professionals. If this is not allowed, then screw ever recruiting HS kids and developing them for the schools with large NIL, and focus on getting the transfers that couldn't get the minutes they hoped to get, and already made some of the NIL they hoped to gain from their college career, and just want to focus on playing.
The Arch Madness Victory Bell thread on the Missouri Valley Fan Forum is now at 4 pages and growing. I think we may have landed a few blows and it isn't too late to join the brawl or witness the bloodshed.
Crazy as this sounds, give the players NIL buy also include a buyout clause.
as I write this, I feel high revenue college athletics is really going to hell. Kid majors are getting their butts kicked in and men’s college hoop I declining. Women’s college hoop is currently on the upswing thanks to likeable players like Caitlin Vlark, Paige Burkers and Juju Watkins.
Hopefully fans aren't running out to wear these names on the back of the jersey.
