The BA question consists of two separate questions: first, is he the coach for USU, regardless of the new NIL and transfer environment? Second, is he the coach for the NIL and transfer environment? He controls the former, and not so much the latter. If the answer to the first question is "no," then there is no need to chirp over NIL, unless it concerns the new coach in a few years. However, if it's "yes" or "we think so," then whoever runs NIL needs to bring that along. However, there really is no accountability for NIL. Notably, Virgina just passed a law which allows it's higher education institutions to bring NIL in-house and, essentially, pay players. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/A ... ew-nil-law. Maybe that's the way to go, but it seems difficult to work out if it's still going to be NIL.

In the end, Utah State usually lost out to bigger schools in bigger conferences with better facilities, and sometimes you got a diamond in the rough, or found a kid that was more worried about playing time or where he lived, went to school, etc. But, it was still difficult to compete. It's not much different now, except that hard, cold cash is a slightly stronger siren call than conference, facilities, and even playing time, etc. But, this problem exists for all schools. It's just frustrating because being traditionally cash strapped makes the situation even worse and schools who have big money donors can now take direct advantage of that, where before they could not. For example, I have to imagine that UNLV is poised to have deep, deep NIL pockets. The "sponsorship" opportunities in Vegas seem endless. I'm more bothered by the endless, unlimited transfer rule. It's no good. There needs to be a window where, if you have not found a new team, you're not playing, or you must be accepted back. The players have to have some skin in the game and the coach needs to know what teams he is going to be coaching.

Blake wouldn't have been able to get the Arkansas State players to come here if they didn't like him.

Our programs have not seen less success since NIL, we're just saying the quiet part out loud that's always been there.

So in a single week BA has lost:
-His starting Sr. QB
-His former backup QB who had earned a few start last year as well
-The two DT's that should have been the starters last year (yes, I am with SLB on this one)
-Your promising young DE that was likely a starter
-One of the big LB signings that was brought in to help fill one of our weakest spots
-Your starting RB (this is the biggest loss so far in hoops or football)

and there's still word that were losing a CB (unless this is Bryan)

I'm not sure where BA and Co. go from here. The U is basically window shopping and taking who they want and I'm sure others are too, there's no NIL $$ to compete with them or even our own conference peers, and team leaders just keep walking out the door. I never expected to see this kind chaos around the FB program after so many key guys declared that they were committed to staying.

It seems like a lot of the players leaving are saying how grateful they are to Blake. These “I’m in the portal, blessed” posts are a bit canned but if they really didn’t like Blake and that was there reason for leaving I don’t think they’d say that.

For a lot of these guys, this is the only opportunity they will have to play football for money. How can you blame them?

And good riddance to them, whatever their names are. I really don't know how you keep a fan base and donors for a program that has this kind of turnover every year. I salute those of you that contribute to NIL collectives- I could never do that myself. What is the return on that investment? You get to watch kids that don't care a lick about you or your school come in from, wherever, for a season and play so you can brag to your friends and family how the mercenaries on your team beat the mercenaries on their team? Great.

Yossarian wrote: ↑

April 18th, 2024, 6:12 pm

For a lot of these guys, this is the only opportunity they will have to play football for money. How can you blame them?

And good riddance to them, whatever their names are. I really don't know how you keep a fan base and donors for a program that has this kind of turnover every year. I salute those of you that contribute to NIL collectives- I could never do that myself. What is the return on that investment? You get to watch kids that don't care a lick about you or your school come in from, wherever, for a season and play so you can brag to your friends and family how the mercenaries on your team beat the mercenaries on their team? Great.

I'm with you. NIL in its current form is unsustainable. The NCAA had a golden opportunity to get something right for the first time in its history of "governance" by setting some actual parameters for what constitutes legal compensation for Name, Image, and Likeness. Instead they proved how useless they truly are and gave in to the all-powerful SEC by legalizing what the southern bag-men had been doing in the shadows for decades.

It was one thing when it was just the university begging you for donations. Now collectives are competing with the school in hopes of maintaining a mediocre roster for one season. I tip my cap to any Aggie fans that donate to the Blue A Collective, but there's more enjoyable ways for me to light my money on fire.

Our tax dollars already line Blake's pocket. I don't need additional spend so that Dahistorius Lamystorius can buy a PlayStation.

Naked Bull Rider wrote: ↑

April 18th, 2024, 9:46 pm

Yossarian wrote: ↑

April 18th, 2024, 6:12 pm

For a lot of these guys, this is the only opportunity they will have to play football for money. How can you blame them?

And good riddance to them, whatever their names are. I really don't know how you keep a fan base and donors for a program that has this kind of turnover every year. I salute those of you that contribute to NIL collectives- I could never do that myself. What is the return on that investment? You get to watch kids that don't care a lick about you or your school come in from, wherever, for a season and play so you can brag to your friends and family how the mercenaries on your team beat the mercenaries on their team? Great.

I'm with you. NIL in its current form is unsustainable. The NCAA had a golden opportunity to get something right for the first time in its history of "governance" by setting some actual parameters for what constitutes legal compensation for Name, Image, and Likeness. Instead they proved how useless they truly are and gave in to the all-powerful SEC by legalizing what the southern bag-men had been doing in the shadows for decades.

It was one thing when it was just the university begging you for donations. Now collectives are competing with the school in hopes of maintaining a mediocre roster for one season. I tip my cap to any Aggie fans that donate to the Blue A Collective, but there's more enjoyable ways for me to light my money on fire.

Our tax dollars already line Blake's pocket. I don't need additional spend so that Dahistorius Lamystorius can buy a PlayStation.

The NCAA has a losing percentage in court that would embarrass Dave Arslanian. They've been exposed as toothless and feckless, and anything they might have tried to do on NIL would have been challeneged immediately and probably struck down.

MOST of the guys leaving are looking for more playing time. It's easy to see who left for monetary reasons.

Yossarian wrote: ↑

April 18th, 2024, 6:12 pm

For a lot of these guys, this is the only opportunity they will have to play football for money. How can you blame them?

And good riddance to them, whatever their names are. I really don't know how you keep a fan base and donors for a program that has this kind of turnover every year. I salute those of you that contribute to NIL collectives- I could never do that myself. What is the return on that investment? You get to watch kids that don't care a lick about you or your school come in from, wherever, for a season and play so you can brag to your friends and family how the mercenaries on your team beat the mercenaries on their team? Great.

The kicker to it all is that it also creates an inferior product across the sport. When you have the kind of yearly roster turnover offenses have to be dumbed down, and by the time defenses get comfortable and qbs and receivers get on the same page everything gets dissolved and everyone picks new teams in the order of NIL money available.

hickaggie wrote: ↑

April 19th, 2024, 12:36 pm

Yossarian wrote: ↑

April 18th, 2024, 6:12 pm

For a lot of these guys, this is the only opportunity they will have to play football for money. How can you blame them?

And good riddance to them, whatever their names are. I really don't know how you keep a fan base and donors for a program that has this kind of turnover every year. I salute those of you that contribute to NIL collectives- I could never do that myself. What is the return on that investment? You get to watch kids that don't care a lick about you or your school come in from, wherever, for a season and play so you can brag to your friends and family how the mercenaries on your team beat the mercenaries on their team? Great.

The kicker to it all is that it also creates an inferior product across the sport. When you have the kind of yearly roster turnover offenses have to be dumbed down, and by the time defenses get comfortable and qbs and receivers get on the same page everything gets dissolved and everyone picks new teams in the order of NIL money available.

And now if the coaches don't sniff their jockstrap they can leave mid-season and play elsewhere.