Name, Image and Likeness has made it so we no longer have to pretend that college football is, or ever was, an amateur sport. While money is not everything in the modern era, programs with a larger NIL backbone are going to have more success when it comes to acquiring top talent. More talent usually correlates to more success on the field.
That’s just facts. It is not something that needs to be kept (not so) secret anymore!
Finances are discussed out in the open. Collectives are working hard behind-the-scenes to sign players as if they are free agents — because they are.
In addition to recruiting players to join a specific program, there is also the element of retention. Coaches must, essentially, re-recruit their own players each year to keep them from transferring out. NIL often plays a big role in that process.
Western Kentucky is the perfect example, though certainly not the only one! The Hilltoppers welcomed welcoming defensive back Upton Stout and wide receiver Dalvin Smith back to the program for 2024 on Friday night.
Their top NIL arm, the Red Towel Trust, announced both “free agent signings” just like an NFL organization. It is a professional sport!
The @RedTowelTrust is so excited to have extended our partnership with @DalvinSmith270 in to 2024 and he can finish his career where he started as a Hilltopper!
Trying to figure out how to clap with ONE HAND! Go TOPS!https://t.co/kySm6gYYNU #Whois17?#Glasgow
Photo credit to… pic.twitter.com/3xXKPNYIlZ— Red Towel Trust (@RedTowelTrust) December 22, 2023
Smith’s post also came with a strong flex. It featured a brand-new BMW on the football field.
As of July, Stout was driving a Chevy Malibu.
If you see him driving a new Beamer around Bowling Green this spring, we know why!
Western Kentucky did something similar last offseason with starting quarterback Austin Reed. The Hilltoppers and the Red Towel Trust were able to fend off other programs trying to poach their signal-caller by signing him to a new deal with the local real estate tycoon.
None of this is out of the ordinary. This is all pretty standard practice in today’s day and age— and even before.
However, it is nice that we finally can talk openly about what is really going on!
The post Western Kentucky NIL Collective Flaunts Wealth By Announcing Major Signings Like NFL Free Agency appeared first on BroBible.
Western Kentucky NIL Collective Flaunts Wealth By Announcing Major Signings Like NFL Free Agency
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