Under Armour All-Americans discuss 'crazy' state of NIL for high school recruits

For most of the elite prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, NIL has been constantly brought up in their recruiting process since the summer of 2021.

Paying for top talent in college football is not a new trend. But with the formation of booster-funded collectives shortly after the NCAA moved to allow athletes to profit off their publicity rights, an influx of dollars poured into the high school football recruiting market.

On3 talked with numerous recruits at the Under Armour All-America Game about NIL and how it impacted their recruitment. They were given blanket anonymity to speak freely on the subject.

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From the discussions, it’s evident NIL does indeed play a role in the decision-making process. Yet, this crop of players – more than two full years into the NIL world – say it’s only one of the things that matter when it comes time to pick a program.

“Biggest number,” a five-star recruit questioned when asked about NIL deals. “It was big – just a big number. A real big number.”

The recruit later acknowledged the “biggest number” was a $1 million deal over three to four years.

“Before all that was even brought up, I had to work my way up, build relationships with the staff and all that properly,” the recruit said. “Relationships and then development [were factors]. I wanted to win, too. Mostly, we talked about NIL on official visits, and it was mostly before I committed after it kind of blew it down. They would call me and text my phone.”

NIL creates some ‘crazy, crazy things’

Another elite prospect described a chaotic situation with how NIL was pitched to him. But he, too, focused on other factors with his decision. He said he let his family worry about NIL.

“There’s been some crazy, crazy things but I’m not going to put out names,” another five-star prospect said when asked about Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s comments that a good transfer quarterback costs $1 million to $1.5 million. “I feel like it is definitely possible. Schools have told us that. It’s not all about the money to me. I just want to go somewhere that I feel is the best fit for me.

“My family wanted me to find a school that I wanted to go to. They were going to work on the NIL side.”

Another top recruit at the Under Armour All-America game stressed the importance of getting NIL opportunities in writing – and trusting people near you for guidance.

“If it ain’t on paper, don’t believe it,” the recruit said. “And my family was making sure that I was getting everything that was being told. I definitely do think some schools are going to make it sound good. But some schools try and make it sound too good. They definitely are fronting on the numbers.”

NIL sets you up for ‘life outside of football’

Several recruits at the Under Armour All-America game mentioned they have already signed NIL representation agreements with agents. They said agents were critical to navigating the discussion process with collectives. Plus, they said agents have already opened a few doors with brands for when they arrive on campus.

“It’s a great thing,” one elite prospect said. “But some people misuse it. It sets you up for life outside football. It gets you a head start on life and then helps you with your family down the road. It’s not important to me. It is just a benefit that you get from playing the game.”

Players also talked about how everybody is just that more aware of how the entire process works now that we’re years into the NIL Era.

“I think NIL is an opportunity that you have,” another recruit said. “But a big part of it is your brand, being able to get on the field early. All that stuff plays into account. But I think now that NIL has been around for a while, the more people learn about it, the more adaptive you can get to it.

“Collectives have become greater, and they’ve learned more about what they can do.”

Another top player said even though he’s going to one of the top schools in the country that NIL wasn’t even discussed or was a factor in his recruitment.

“I feel like once I get there, my freshman year, they’ll work some things out for me as far as getting my money,” the prospect said. “I trust the coaching staff. And everybody I know has trusted him.”