This is my biggest complaint with Mitch.
Crystal ball for Magoon Gwath to UK!
- Thread starter University-6
- Start date
Well things aren't going well at all.
Some insiders took a hit on their crystal ball accuracy.
If he’s going back to SDS, two things could have happened:
- they came up with some big cash
- he learned of another possible commit that changed things for him here
Honestly, this one was almost a sure thing just half a day ago?
- they came up with some big cash
- he learned of another possible commit that changed things for him here
Honestly, this one was almost a sure thing just half a day ago?
Either we didnt take a commitment or something is wrong at UK or sports media people are trolling BBN to be ********. which is it
I would say he went shopping for the most $$$$ and found out the big boys were not dropping huge amounts and said I will head back to whence I came. His people were probably looking for 1.5 mil or something like that and when it turned out to be something like 500k he said I will stay at SDSU for 400k or something like that. Just guessing. Grass is not always greener in this pasture of the good ole American currency. He thought he was in a field of Salmon P. Chases when he was actually in a field of Grants.
Those "insiders" really never know anything.
They won’t count it as a miss by saying he never actually transferred.
It is amazing how wrong they are on possible UK commits.
No they changed the pick 5 minutes after he announced lol.
Yes the donors stepped up late and yes he took less money. I would sure like to land one of our bigger needs and /or top targets soon because I have to say I’m getting concerned. Honestly transfers were rumored to be knocking down our door to want to come. We supposedly have a ton of money to spend, yet we haven’t gotten the guys we have prioritized and even this crystal ball pick now. Hopefully they have a couple key guys they are waiting on or have prioritized because I can’t lie, the momentum at the very least feels a little concerning right now.
After Clemson and others leave, imo the acc will fall apart and duke will go independent in basketball.
Agree. Their nike and Disney/espn relationship is worth millions directly and indirectly worth millions more through exposure and brand building via national commercials. There is duke alone, then anyone else a far distant second.
I warned people on here days ago we don't have the money relative to others. I have zero inside info but you don't need it when you can read people's actions.
In the very beginning, kids' nil scores were inflated and you couldn't believe them. Now theyre so high most of it is kept quiet to avoid backlash.
Thats why i pointed out even if we have 10 mil a year, its paltry compared to top nil programs. We spent almost 2 mil on jj. Probably 750-1 mil on moreno. We'll have at least a mil in oweh and probably 750 in Garrison.
So we'll have to field an entire roster with that 5 mil remaining. Im sure the crafts will go a little over if needed but not as much as it will take.
When you cant outspend sdsu for a skilled kid not many wanted because he's a toothpick, its a serious situation.
UK wasn't his only option, he had other schools on him, so SDSU must have given him a big bag.
I don't see how any of these insiders can know everything that's going on and trying to predict what these kids are going to do, is impossible.
I can't blame Trilly, Ryan, or anyone else on this one, because it looks like he was coming and he obviously changed his mind.
Today's kids are just different.
It definitely is not. No matter what people post or say, it isnt. The big 10 hasnt even started their basketball spending yet. When they do, it will take 20 mil a year just to be competitive.
The difference is these other elite nil schools arent crowing about their money. The media/online accounts driving the notion that 10 mil is great must all be mitch acolytes, because, short of diamonds in the rough, its going to fund a team less talented than what we had last year.
Remember - it isnt about what a player is actually worth. Its about what people are willing to pay them, and people are paying kids stupid money. That's why prices are so insane and why 10 mil wont get it done.
Instead of Mitch tasking his allies to spread propaganda, he should either get out and find more nil (instead of making coaches do it) or leave so someone that will can take the job.
Over the next month, we're truly going to see if UK can pay premium for premium players, or if we're going to be stuck in money ball mode for the foreseeable future.
Time will tell.
Time will tell.
Yes it is my dude, collleges are not paying 10 guys on their team an average of 2 million a year. It’s just not happening. 10 million is at the very top according to everyone in the industry who follows these things. The best players get 2-3 million a year, starters may get 750k to a million max. Bench pieces even less. Ohio State had the largest NIL pool of college Football and spent around 22 million dollars last year. That’s including a freshman wide receiver and QB who could command 3-4 million a year.
Hell the reason Florida State has fallen apart is because their guys wanted NIL money, they almost boycotted a game. They eventually settled for like 500-700k a player. At at the end of the year 7 guys didn’t even get paid that. That’s why they are trying to sue. A lot of numbers being thrown around are false.
Today's kids may be different, but their agents are the same, and in the words of Rustin Cohle, "What, money don't spend?"
They were not. Now they are. The first big warning sign was us paying jj almost 2 mil and he was a legacy guy that wasnt even considered an elite recruit.
We can rightfully complain about the state of nil affairs, but a big issue is mitch not helping. He makes coaches raise their own nil. Even worse, mitch goes after those same money sources for athletic department donations.
So he is actively reducing nil funds in addition to not helping at all. He either needs to get on board or get off the tracks.
Man, just when I convinced myself he was physical enough to play in the SEC despite his stature and weight.
Curious to see if “money balling”(just a term for what we did last year) with actually good freshmen will be any different. We were a 3 seed with that money balling and 3 freshmen that essentially gave us nothing. 3 freshmen this season should be very different.
Dude decided to stay home and remain with his coach. It happens. His coach commented he even took less money to stay. Many on here who say it is all about the "bag" will dismiss that comment.
If folks think Barnhart is the biggest problem with NIL, then they don’t understand what it takes to have a successful NIL collective in place.
If you look at Tennessee as an example, the single most important people, by far, are folks like Hunter Baddour. It was Baddour who got the boosters onboard, put in the effort to sell the idea to fans, got the administration onboard with the idea of closer coordination with the collective, and who drove the initial discussions with legislators to change Tennessee state law.
The single most important factor is having someone competent running the collective who is also willing to make it more than a full time job.
Beyond those running the collectives, it will always be the head coaches who bear the burden of fundraising. Ryan Day is the one who has to do the heavy lifting for Ohio State. It wasn’t Gene Smith and it isn’t Ross Bjork. Boosters want to hear from the head coaches much more than the ADs. Anything the ADs do are largely token gestures.
That’s just the way things work in reality. Barnhart could come out publicly singing the praises of NIL and it isn’t going to chance much. You have to have good people running the collective the can sell the idea to boosters, head coaches willing to put in the effort and a fan base willing to support it. Athletics Directors play a much smaller role.
I'd wager there is something going on at UK. That could be people that recruits or transfers are meeting, and not liking, or Pope and staff sending the wrong message. I easily can see Pope being as enthusiastic about UK's tradition as we are, and the players going "uuuuggghhhh, cool..."
If all we were willing to pay is $500k (or $800k as I heard elsewhere), for a player that some programs deem is worth 1 to 1.5m...
Then we're toast.
I feel like some higher ups at UK/Boosters might may have the same take as some posters here: "This is Kentucky, they should line UP to play for us! let's give him the minimum and make him turn us down!"
I agree with most of what you said. However mitch is absolutely an obstacle. First off, he was super slow to let significant nil even get started at uk. All while schools such as UT and UL dove in head first.
Secondly he refuses to help at all. I get that he cant be leading the charge, but he must at least be in the game.
Third his slow adoption/weird stance on revenue sharing is going to hurt, if it isnt already. UK has basically one donor that funds football and basketball along with the coaching staff for both. If Mitch would openly embrace sport specific nil, that would alleviate some of the funding pressure for football and let it get rerouted to basketball.
I get it that he (and probably many others) view it as something sketchy and unsavory. None of that matters now. This is the worst time to just be disengaged simply because its against your personal beliefs. He should follow suit of all the others that retired.
Does UK have someone running their NIL program? If not, why not, as this is apparently the life line to survive, let alone prosper?
If Barnhart is the issue, why don't the coaches approach the board or who ever they need to and ask for a change?
Who currently determines the amount for each player?