The legitimization of NIL has changed the landscape of college football, with most top student-athletes now finding themselves flush with cash. While this provides players an incentive to stay longer in college, Shilo Sanders, who has a $1 million NIL valuation, understands the downsides that can quickly become a nightmare.
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Shilo and Shedeur Sanders sat down with Robert Griffin on the Outta Pocket with RG3 podcast, where they talked about NIL and their second season in Colorado. During this riveting conversation, the Buffs safety pointed out that there is a huge upside for players when it comes to NIL. However, it’s not always conducive to coaches and football programs that want to create a winning team.
“It’s like recruits got price tags, though. It’s different. But if you are trying to build a team, that’s going to win, you got to get players that actually want to win, not players that just want to get paid.”
However, Shilo, as a player, doesn’t concern himself with other players’ intentions, stating that his job is to go out there and play without worrying about trivial things.
“I’m not a coach, I don’t care. My job is to just to do what I do.”
Shedeur seconded his brother’s stance, stating that players don’t really care about the NIL earnings of other players on the team.
He also pointed out that the players tend to stay tight-lipped about their individual dollar amounts, and these topics aren’t part of locker-room conversations either, as they can distract from the team’s focus.
However, like Shilo, the Buffs’ QB wants to ensure that the boost the team is receiving from NIL deals isn’t wasted on players joining solely for personal gain.
Shedeur talks about NIL boost for the pocket and the team
Shedeur feels NIL has given the football programs great spending power to attract talent entering the portal or coming out of high school.
However, using the lure of NIL can sometimes backfire, as it might attract the wrong kind of players who are just there to get their hands on money and not be team players. So, there are pros and cons to this.
“It just depends because they may just think it’s a big money play. So it’s pros and cons with that. So you got to make sure that they want to be part of the team for the right reasons.”
The NIL is gradually leveling the playing field when it comes to attracting talent. While big programs have long relied on wealthy boosters to lure top players, talented athletes with high NIL potential might now opt for a smaller program where they can be a bonafide star and the center of attention.
That said, schools with strong football programs will still attract players who want to play at the highest level and make it to the NFL.
As NIL is still in its early stages, there’s a long way to go before it becomes an effective tool. Some regulation from the NCAA is needed to ensure players don’t abuse the system while still receiving their fair share of earnings.
