Now that college football players are permitted to profit from their name, image, and likeness, college football recruiting has changed as prospects are now often expecting NIL payments in return for their commitments. And it sounds like Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders understands this.
During an appearance on the pregame show ahead of Thursday night’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys, Deion Sanders addressed the changes in college football that have kids seeking NIL payments, making it clear that he wants to recruit players that one day desire to get to the NFL – not just seek immediate NIL payments.
“There’s kids nowadays that want to play for money and there’s kids, they want to get paid, but their heart is to one day be out here,” Sanders said on the pregame show according to On3. “You know that ‘Why?’ You understand that, ‘Why?’ All of us sitting up here right now, we had a ‘Why?’ And I want the ‘Why?’ not to just be about a bag. Let’s be about getting to the NFL, not the NIL.
Still, Sanders understands the importance of NIL and wants to make sure his program is in a position to be able to offer that to his players.
“But the NIL is tremendously important. The collectives are tremendously important. If you do a search on the top-five schools right now in their budget, a recruiting budget or just a budget for football, it’s unbelievable and it topples ours. We’ve got to have finances to compete, as well.”
It’s safe to say that NIL has changed college football.
