Itsux2beaewe
Well-known member
Solomon Byrd might have, of recent transfers. Many didn’t even find a new school.
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Waylee entering the portal
- Thread starter Itsux2beaewe
- Start date
Getting there myself...not as much enjoyment like I used to have
LanderPoke
Well-known member
Truest words I have heard in a while
cowpokeguy
Active member
Another one that has done well is Emmanuel Pregnon. Transferred from UW to USC, and showed himself to be a top O-lineman at that level. From there, sounded like he was going to the draft but instead is now transferring to Oregon. I have to guess that pull out of the draft to go to Oregon must mean a huge NIL deal. https://247sports.com/article/emman...ootball-out-of-the-transfer-portal-243642006/
LanderPoke
Well-known member
All these kids are craven
OrediggerPoke
Well-known member
And if a player says to a coach, ‘I’ll only play 4 games this year or leave the team…help them pack their stuff ASAP.’ A coach will never be successful or garner respect from the team allowing individual players to make such demands.
$850,000.plus for his NIL value. Don't know what his draft projection was but assume it wasn't as good.
Brew_Poke
Well-known member
It's just free market capitalism benefiting labor, for once. I'm sure that will be "fixed" soon to put the power back firmly on the side of capital.
As a UW grad who came to Laramie for school and left immediately after graduation, I get that Wyoming has a deep-rooted sense of loyalty and hard work—and I respect that. But some of these takes are short-sighted and lack a global perspective.
NIL isn’t about ‘getting paid for nothing’—it’s about players finally having the ability to profit from their talent, just like any other college student who can monetize their skills.
Let’s be real—many of these athletes, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, aren’t thinking about loyalty to a school; they’re thinking about changing their family’s financial situation. If you had a chance to significantly improve your life and your loved ones’ lives, would you pass it up just because of an outdated notion of ‘your word is your bond’?
I get that it stings to lose a key player, but let’s not act like it violates some moral code. Maybe I lack traditional Wyoming values, but how many of us wouldn’t do the same in their shoes?
I’m a proud Wyoming football fan, and it’s time we catch up with the times. Enjoy the players while we have them. Let’s be honest—if NIL existed earlier, guys like Josh Allen, Josh Adams, or Larry Nance Jr. probably wouldn’t have stuck around either.
NIL isn’t about ‘getting paid for nothing’—it’s about players finally having the ability to profit from their talent, just like any other college student who can monetize their skills.
Let’s be real—many of these athletes, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, aren’t thinking about loyalty to a school; they’re thinking about changing their family’s financial situation. If you had a chance to significantly improve your life and your loved ones’ lives, would you pass it up just because of an outdated notion of ‘your word is your bond’?
I get that it stings to lose a key player, but let’s not act like it violates some moral code. Maybe I lack traditional Wyoming values, but how many of us wouldn’t do the same in their shoes?
I’m a proud Wyoming football fan, and it’s time we catch up with the times. Enjoy the players while we have them. Let’s be honest—if NIL existed earlier, guys like Josh Allen, Josh Adams, or Larry Nance Jr. probably wouldn’t have stuck around either.
Nance Jr. probably would have stayed. His family was already financially secure and he had other options.
McPeachy
Well-known member
Although I agree with a lot of your post, I have a different take, as a former athlete, fan, booster, alum, etc, of UW.
Famous line from "The Last Boy Scout" predicted it. "Free agency has killed the god damned game". Never truer words for college athletics right now.
You may ask, well, it happens all the time in the NFL, etc. Which is absolutely true...but it is also controlled. What we have going on is a free-for-all disaster.
ragtimejoe1
Well-known member
But it didn't become a problem until the money started flowing the "wrong way" as you pointed out above. The best we can hope for is some form of cba with some limitations. Even then, I don't think it'll help much.
What do professional leagues have in place to limit NIL? Say a bunch of fans put together an extra 15 mill to lure Mahomes, would that be legal? Completely unsolicited and unaffiliated with franchise; just a bunch of money in escrow or something. Just a theoretical example.
McPeachy
Well-known member
I think the money should flow to the athletes, and never have had a different thought on that. And some athletes have greater value (just like the professional teams), and would be naturally entitled to more.
That said, this current NIL model is broken. There needs to be some kind of protection for the team, just like in the professional leagues.
To answer your question about professional NIL - well - that comes in the form of endorsements...NOT player salary. A company can pick and chose their endorsements, and do as they wish. Much different IMO. What they can't do is pick their endorsements and use them to sway a salary or contract.
ragtimejoe1
Well-known member
Theoretically, if we were Bronco fans and there were lots of us, could we put together 50 million to lure Josh to Denver? Endorsement of our group and contigent on him playing in Denver? I'm guessing yes. If that's the case, I'm sure "non-affiliated" collective would remain in almost any system.
Even with cba similar to pro-leagues, I'm not sure if it will help much. Part of the problem is that players have no incentive to collectively bargain. The ncaa, universities, and media exploited them until they couldn't. Barring congressional intervention, the players have no incentive to accept anything less than unrestricted free market.
It's a very gray area.
If the team or any of it's affiliates were aware of the fans offer to the player, there is a good chance it would be labeled "circumventing the salary cap" and the NFL would probably levy fines and other punishments on the team. Even if the team was completely unaware of the fans offer, but the player agreed to a lower salary from the team because of the fans offer, the NFL would probably try to label it "circumventing the salary cap". It would likely be litigated and then some form of precedent would be in place moving forward.
Of course, none of this is criminally illegal. It is just maybe/maybe not against NFL policy. But the NFL carries much more power than the NCAA does.
College athletics is currently a "worst of all worlds" scenario - unlimited free agency, no contractual implications for perpetual free agency, no anti-tampering enforcement, and no salary cap. The NFL is great because of the parity and the rules that create it. The same is true of the NHL. Major League Baseball is in decline because of FA and roster/salary disparities. Plus the MLB season is way too long. But the worst design is singularly the one employed in college ball right now.
Major League Baseball had its own form of Indentured Servitude. It was called The Reserve Clause. Once a contract was signed, the player was SOL if he wanted to play for another team. "Play for us, or don't play at all." Curt Flood sacrificed his career in order to get it changed. Along came George Steinbrenner, who used his Yankee and personal resources to buy any player that he wanted. Ask the Oakland A's how they enjoyed watching their Championship team being gutted by the Yankees. As has happened with so many other "good things," Free Agency was turned into a very BAD THING by Georgie. Billy Martin was right ... George Steinbrenner was an SOB. That misuse of Free Agency quickly infected all the other professional sports leagues. Now it's College Sports turn in the barrel.
The NCAA model is broken — they overhauled things too quickly, and now we're seeing the fallout. But I don’t feel bad about it, nor do I feel bad for the institutions. Unfortunately, we as fans are collateral damage. The NCAA and colleges profited off athletes for decades; scholarships, housing, and stipends were never truly equitable to the value those athletes brought in.
Restricting athlete movement isn’t the answer. With many NIL deals coming from donors or third parties, schools aren’t necessarily owed anything when players leave. The collective? Maybe — but that’s another conversation. I’m less informed on the current state of NIL agreements, but with colleges now allowed to pay athletes directly, I will fully support contracts that protect teams and tie compensation to performance.
After 15 years working on various college campuses in the west, midwest and now the southeast I have a good sense of what motivates this generation of athletes. Their priorities often clash with Wyoming’s culture of patience, hard work, and loyalty. Young adults today aren’t as interested in grinding with the hope of a payoff — if a better opportunity arises, they’ll take it.
I think we’d have seen more transfers before NIL if not for restrictive eligibility rules. And it’s not just athletes — Wyoming, as a state and institution, has long struggled to attract and retain in-state talent. This isn’t just a sports issue; it’s a broader cultural and economic challenge.
Restricting athlete movement isn’t the answer. With many NIL deals coming from donors or third parties, schools aren’t necessarily owed anything when players leave. The collective? Maybe — but that’s another conversation. I’m less informed on the current state of NIL agreements, but with colleges now allowed to pay athletes directly, I will fully support contracts that protect teams and tie compensation to performance.
After 15 years working on various college campuses in the west, midwest and now the southeast I have a good sense of what motivates this generation of athletes. Their priorities often clash with Wyoming’s culture of patience, hard work, and loyalty. Young adults today aren’t as interested in grinding with the hope of a payoff — if a better opportunity arises, they’ll take it.
I think we’d have seen more transfers before NIL if not for restrictive eligibility rules. And it’s not just athletes — Wyoming, as a state and institution, has long struggled to attract and retain in-state talent. This isn’t just a sports issue; it’s a broader cultural and economic challenge.
