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NCAA Planning to Crack Down on ‘Pay for Play’ in College Sports

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3 years ago

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In just the last week, Miami basketball star Isaiah Wong provided an ultimatum of a transfer after demanding more NIL compensation, and there are now reports of a multi-million dollar bidding war for Pittsburgh star wide receiver Jordan Addison.

These two situations are just the two most recent reasons why the NCAA needs to step in before college athletics reenters the “meat market” of the 1980s or becomes an all-out professional sport free agency,

With that said, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday morning, that the NCAA does plan to step in and fight against the boosters and the “pay for play” dynamic that has entered college athletics.

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“How are they having conversations [with athletes]? They’re boosters. We’ve never let boosters be involved in the recruiting process. Where did it go off the tracks? … The collectives are boosters,” said NCAA Council chairman and West Virginia Athletic Director Shane Lyons.

In response to Lyons, I would hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is not the first time in college sports that boosters have been involved in the recruiting process, and there is no way to eliminate them completely.

Back to Lyons’ comments, he mentioned “collectives”. Following the debut of NIL on July 1, 2021, many of the biggest donors in college sports came together to form these “collectives”, which allows them to pool their money and provide a substantial, and as of now unchecked, amount of NIL benefits.

Ironically enough, Lyons’ West Virginia athletic department is benefitting from the Country Roads Trust, a collective run by former Mountaineers AD Oliver Luck and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick.

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One of the most prominent boosters and members of a collective, is Miami’s John Ruiz, a billionaire alum of the university. According to the Miami Herald, Ruiz has set aside $10 million himself to compensate student-athletes and has already signed more than 110 to promote two of his companies, LifeWallet and Cigarette Racing.

Ruiz told CBS Sports that he believes he is inside the current rules, even claiming that his collective is more compliant than the NCAA itself. “My platform is very consistent with all the rules with NCAA and state law. We probably have a more robust compliance system than the schools or the NCAA itself. I’m extremely comfortable. This is totally kosher. We have legitimate companies,” Ruiz said.

Unfortunately, Ruiz isn’t wrong. While NCAA rules state that boosters are not allowed to pay players directly or be part of a university’s recruiting process, the majority of these collectives are spearheaded by intelligent people that are skirting vague NCAA guidelines, with many protected by state laws, and in some areas with legislation being created to empower such behavior.

As for when you can expect to see the NCAA’s response, Lyons told CBS Sports, “I think you’ll see something in the coming weeks that in short order is going to provide some of that message to the membership. ‘Here’s the guidance [for NIL].’”

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Football

Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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