The No. 2 linebacker commit in the class of '23 has decomitted from Texas A&M

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...ny-hill-jr-no-2-lb-23-decommits-texas-am

Will A&M sue him now to recoup the NIL advance?

Excellent question!

Absolutely. They should 100% sue him and the family. It's nothing but a business transaction. Kid or kid's family will have to pony up the money. If they've already spent it, which is most likely the case, then same $$ amount that will have to be repaid will be a negotiating point with whichever colleges are interested in his services. Since these players are now being paid to play, they should also be allowed to enter the NFL draft, at any point in their college career, and if they do not get drafted where they want, they should be allowed to just elect to stay another year in college. I mean, if we are going to allow the open buying of players, then hey, let's recognize that college football is now purely a business and treat it exactly like it should be treated.

Technically; the NIL money does not come from the Universities, so they would have no claim.

If I were a betting man I’d say most of the NIL deals are paid in installments just for this kind of situation. I’m sure these companies aren’t that stupid to pay lump sums when the players haven’t suited up yet

Hear hear...

The NIL contracts are "business deals" and will be subject to the terms just like any other contract. Technically; the contracts are not supposed to be tied to attendance/recruiting; I.E "pay to play". But; of course, we know better.

It's probably already been discussed before he de committed, I bet wherever he goes to school at next has already or will incur that debt....

The schools have no standing in the NIL deals

UNIVERSITIES ARE NOT DOING THE NIL DEALS. THEY ARE COMING FROM NON-UNIVERSITY GROUPS.

C'mon, y'all. Taxpayers aren't paying off coaches' buyouts or NIL stuff. Universities aren't paying the NIL deals.

This has been clearly described for more than a year. Outside groups like Bama for Champions or Aubies BooHooHooin' Again are the ones cobbling together their money as the NIL distributor. They know what players the school wants and work with them before - which is technically illegal - or after, which is how it's supposed to be done, to pay the players for name-image-likeness.

Universities aren't going to sue for scholarship money, NIL money or anything else. The players know the skeletons. When Ole Miss got popped by the NCAA and the kid who signed with Mississippi State reportedly took $50,000 from an OM booster before signing with MSU, the OM booster(s) chalked it up as a business loss. That's just how it goes.

An NIL Collective might sue an athlete to get back some of the money, but it's unlikely. If they "negotiated" with the athlete prior to his signing and with the understanding of "If you come to Big College U, we'll make sure you get $250,000 a year" - that's technically illegal by NCAA rules. So the NIL collective also is dancing on thin ice "if" they are skirting the rules.

However, I'm unsure if the NCAA has any jurisdiction over an NIL collective. Those boosters could say "Eff off, you opened the door to this" and let it run into the courts.


I liked it better in the olden days when athletes got money from Booster Bobby and Moneyman MIke by stopping at their home for a friendly visit. Or the coach's "deputy athletic assistant for external affairs" handled everything as the buffer.

But, here we are.

Come on now Clem and Wew.

You two are telling me that all these companies, have no affiliation for or to any particular school, and are just opening up those wallets and giving unproven high school kids that have never played a single down of college football and mediocre college athletes tons of money out of the goodness of their hearts. PLEASE...........

These deals are being arranged by the boosters and coaches. Coach says, hey JIm Bob booster, I got a recruit coming in that already has a $500K NIL deal if he goes to Texas, can you call Joe Bob car dealer and see if you cant put together a group and beat that deal, we'd really like to get this kid signed. $600K should do it. Okay coach, we can make that happen.

That's the real way that the NIL money is being handled.

Exactly

I clearly said the NIL collectives are working with the coaches to identify the players who are to be given NIL money by the collective. Of course they are. Boosters are too stupid to identify on their own a high school kid that a coach wants. They're doing whatever the coaching staff wants done, just like the olden days of pre-NIL.

The universities aren't legally responsible for the NIL money or distribution, though. That's the difference. They're working together but the university is, legally, clean because the NIL collective is the one gathering the money and distributing it ... to whom the coaches want.

Shady? Not any worse than the REC and AU network and all the other booster networks. They're all doing the same thing. Will Anderson didn't go to UA just because Nick sends players to the NFL. Tank didn't stay at AU this year out of the portal because he just loves loves loves it down there. Even with the rose and orange glasses donned, no one is that naive. If they are, well, bless their hearts. Players have been getting something for more than 100 years.

Are the NILs and Universities legally tippy-toeing the line? Yep. They're working together, but the university isn't the one distributing the money from its own coffers.

Legal maneuverings.

So will the A&M boosters sue the kid for the NIL advance?

X2...

Better question.

Possibly.

If they didn't offer a quid pro quo to the player and the NIL contract (presumably, there is one) specifies anything, they might sue to get it back. Probably wouldn't.

If they offered the money as "we'll give you this in exchange for coming to Big State U" then that technically violates the NCAA's definition for NIL. Doubtful they'd admit malfeaseance to get back money from someone they probably wouldn't get it back from.