5 star tackle commits to TTU for 5mil over 3 years

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I know he has an agent, it’s “fully guaranteed”, it’s life changing money. I get all that.

I still do not trust the contract. And he’s going to a school that produced 3 OT draft picks in the last 25 years. Plus a conference that is 3rd(?) in producing NFL picks. Plus anyone that starts ahead of him or plays as well as him is gonna expect the same money.

Wtf happens if he gets hurt? Or he doesn’t pan out? Coaching change? It’s honestly stupid for the kid and school to agree to this. I’ll take the MN model any day._
 

Gopher_Devil said:
I know he has an agent, it’s “fully guaranteed”, it’s life changing money. I get all that.

I still do not trust the contract. And he’s going to a school that produced 3 OT draft picks in the last 25 years. Plus a conference that is 3rd(?) in producing NFL picks. Plus anyone that starts ahead of him or plays as well as him is gonna expect the same money.

Wtf happens if he gets hurt? Or he doesn’t pan out? Coaching change? It’s honestly stupid for the kid and school to agree to this. I’ll take the MN model any day._
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I hate the new NIL world but to ask what happens if he gets hurt? Well he’s gonna have money he wouldn’t have had to fall back on. I am not sure how the “MN model” would benefit him in that scenario?
 


TT apparently has one the largest NIL budgets in the country. So far it hasn’t really shown as far as football recruiting.
 


WoodburyTim said:
I hate the new NIL world but to ask what happens if he gets hurt? Well he’s gonna have money he wouldn’t have had to fall back on. I am not sure how the “MN model” would benefit him in that scenario?
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I’m fine with most of the NIL in CFB it’s these hyperbolic signings that confuse me. The MN model would still compensate a player, who isn't even enrolled in college, well enough to make a difference in his life. Not 5M but something. Meanwhile it would also spare the program and staff questions on why an injured OL is making more than some NFL players.
 

btowngopher said:
TT apparently has one the largest NIL budgets in the country. So far it hasn’t really shown as far as football recruiting.
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I took most of this content from an article back in February of this year:

The Matador Club founder (TT NIL Collective) and major Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell (former TT football player) has sold his oil and natural gas company. Double Eagle has been bought by Diamondback Energy for approximately $4.08 billion. The deal comprises $3 billion in cash and 6.9 million shares of Diamondback common stock. On3.com was among the outlets to report the sale. Through his company, Campbell was able to help fund the Red Raiders' NIL ambitions.

So, it takes people who are all in and focused on their programs. With $3B in cash in Campbell's pockets, don't look for Texas Tech's athletic ambitions to go away anytime soon, as this guy is all in to build TT's programs up. Example, he's the one who got the top women's Softball pitcher paid to come to TT for $1M/yr. That's right for a women's softball player, but she did get them to the women's College World Series this year.
 

WoodburyTim said:
I hate the new NIL world but to ask what happens if he gets hurt? Well he’s gonna have money he wouldn’t have had to fall back on. I am not sure how the “MN model” would benefit him in that scenario?
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It's an uncomfortable new reality and we can now all see that the agreement passed a couple of months ago on revenue sharing (or whatever it was) isn't going to mean squat when it comes to NIL, which will continue on its merry way. It is what it is and I'm not going to gripe about it, but it sure makes me question what's become most important amongst the public.
 

99Gopher said:
I took most of this content from an article back in February of this year:

The Matador Club founder (TT NIL Collective) and major Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell (former TT football player) has sold his oil and natural gas company. Double Eagle has been bought by Diamondback Energy for approximately $4.08 billion. The deal comprises $3 billion in cash and 6.9 million shares of Diamondback common stock. On3.com was among the outlets to report the sale. Through his company, Campbell was able to help fund the Red Raiders' NIL ambitions.

So, it takes people who are all in and focused on their programs. With $3B in cash in Campbell's pockets, don't look for Texas Tech's athletic ambitions to go away anytime soon, as this guy is all in to build TT's programs up. Example, he's the one who got the top women's Softball pitcher paid to come to TT for $1M/yr. That's right for a women's softball player, but she did get them to the women's College World Series this year.
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Apparently a fan told Campbell to buy Texas Tech an Offensive Line on one of the Social Media platforms after a loss last season and his response was "I will".
 



If they had attempted to do this as a third-party NIL deal in this new system, I believe the new clearinghouse would reject the deal. Because it would be far excessive in value.
 

upnorthkid said:
The dollar amounts are craziness

www.espn.com

5-star OT Ojo picks Texas Tech, lands $5M+ deal

Five-star OT Felix Ojo committed to Texas Tech on Friday after signing a historic, seven-figure revenue-share contract with the Red Raiders, his agent Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management told ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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Ridiculous. Most schools can't afford the inflation coming in payments and will either drop football or move into a new version of the NCAA that is legally protected in some way from player payments. It will all go back to the Supreme Court eventually. Meanwhile the NCAA should reinstate the one-year sitting out for transfer - that would reduce the anarchy. What a mess!
 

upnorthkid said:
The dollar amounts are craziness

www.espn.com

5-star OT Ojo picks Texas Tech, lands $5M+ deal

Five-star OT Felix Ojo committed to Texas Tech on Friday after signing a historic, seven-figure revenue-share contract with the Red Raiders, his agent Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management told ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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You know who has to be really pissed about this is the other top programs like OSU, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Mich and so on who are going after the elite 5-Stars or even those elite 4-Stars who are ranked in the top 200 players. You know there were some 5-Stars players who probably heard the news and went back to their respective teams (tops on their list) and said there was a new benchmark for their deal. I imagine the are some 5-Star kids saying there's no way as a D-End, QB or WR are they getting paid less than an O-lineman. Do I feel sorry for any of these teams, NO as I hope some of these kids milk them for all their worth as they desperately pursue having one of the top recruiting classes.
 

99Gopher said:
I took most of this content from an article back in February of this year:

The Matador Club founder (TT NIL Collective) and major Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell (former TT football player) has sold his oil and natural gas company. Double Eagle has been bought by Diamondback Energy for approximately $4.08 billion. The deal comprises $3 billion in cash and 6.9 million shares of Diamondback common stock. On3.com was among the outlets to report the sale. Through his company, Campbell was able to help fund the Red Raiders' NIL ambitions.

So, it takes people who are all in and focused on their programs. With $3B in cash in Campbell's pockets, don't look for Texas Tech's athletic ambitions to go away anytime soon, as this guy is all in to build TT's programs up. Example, he's the one who got the top women's Softball pitcher paid to come to TT for $1M/yr. That's right for a women's softball player, but she did get them to the women's College World Series this year.
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I think this type of stuff is unsustainable and will ultimately go away. People will always contribute in some capacity and will be emotionally attached. But I also think they’ll move to more reasonable contracts/values and for players who have proven themselves.

5 mil on a 17 year old OT? In almost any aspect I think this idiotic

3.5 mil on a 21 year old OT with starting experience, 80+ pff grade, 2 years to play? Now we can talk about it.

Empathy/emotional fatigue is real. Even for rabid CFB fans. A few flames outs and a couple bad deals later and all this ridiculous NIL stuff will level off.
 



In these situations the school, the booster, and the athlete have massive incentives to misrepresent the value of these contracts to the high side. And there are no rules to dictate how the amounts are reported.

If an accountant a an attorney were tasked with determining the actual value this contract, you can be sure it would be worth at a very tiny fraction of the amount TT and its surrogates are “reporting” to the public.
 


It's pretty simple really. One of us Gopher fans needs to drill baby drill and sell quickly.
AI is going to require massive energy. AI will find a solution to capturing the sun's nearly endless supply of energy at prices so low it will make oil an afterthought.
 

Goldmember said:
In these situations the school, the booster, and the athlete have massive incentives to misrepresent the value of these contracts to the high side. And there are no rules to dictate how the amounts are reported.

If an accountant a an attorney were tasked with determining the actual value this contract, you can be sure it would be worth at a very tiny fraction of the amount TT and its surrogates are “reporting” to the public.
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The Athletic story says it is worth about half...based on the settlement rules.
Here is a paragraph from the Athletic story that is eye opening...
"Billionaire oil magnate Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech offensive lineman, co-founder of the Matador Club and chairman of the school’s board of regents, told The Athletic last month that Tech would spend an estimated $55 million combined in revenue-sharing dollars and NIL money for players across the athletic department for the 2025-26 cycle. After the House settlement approval, the Matador Club merged with Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club, the longtime donor arm of Texas Tech athletics."Story
 

60's Guy said:
The Athletic story says it is worth about half...based on the settlement rules.
Here is a paragraph from the Athletic story that is eye opening...
"Billionaire oil magnate Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech offensive lineman, co-founder of the Matador Club and chairman of the school’s board of regents, told The Athletic last month that Tech would spend an estimated $55 million combined in revenue-sharing dollars and NIL money for players across the athletic department for the 2025-26 cycle. After the House settlement approval, the Matador Club merged with Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club, the longtime donor arm of Texas Tech athletics."Story
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The settlement definitely changes things. All NIL deals exceeding $600 must now be reported to a designated platform, NIL Go, as part of the House settlement. This applies to all Division I student-athletes. The reporting mechanism is managed by Deloitte through NIL Go, which serves as a clearinghouse for these deals, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The purpose of this reporting is to ensure transparency and compliance with the settlement's terms, which aim to standardize NIL practices and prevent circumvention of rules.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Disclosure Requirement: All NIL deals worth $600 or more must be reported.

  • Reporting Platform: The reporting is done through NIL Go, a platform developed by Deloitte.

  • Compliance: The reporting is crucial for ensuring that NIL deals are legitimate, serve a valid business purpose, and are at fair market value.

  • Fair Market Value: Deloitte will assess deals to ensure they reflect the fair market value of the athlete's name, image, and likeness.

  • Potential Consequences: Disallowed agreements may be subject to neutral arbitration.
 

Gopher_Devil said:
Meanwhile it would also spare the program and staff questions on why an injured OL is making more than some NFL players.
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I don't really think they'd care, nor would anyone ask. You're overthinking this, or maybe you're just frustrated that TT is playing the game in a way you don't like.

And no, the MN model wouldn't compensate him nearly enough for life as this does. I don't think it's even close.

Love the MN model all you want, but what this kid is doing for himself is better than what the MN model would provide him.
 

50PoundHead said:
It's an uncomfortable new reality and we can now all see that the agreement passed a couple of months ago on revenue sharing (or whatever it was) isn't going to mean squat when it comes to NIL, which will continue on its merry way. It is what it is and I'm not going to gripe about it, but it sure makes me question what's become most important amongst the public.
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What do we (the public) have to do with this? None of these decisions came about from the results of an opinion poll.
 

Gopher_Devil said:
Empathy/emotional fatigue is real. Even for rabid CFB fans. A few flames outs and a couple bad deals later and all this ridiculous NIL stuff will level off.
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Well I guess we'll have to pay attention to Texas A&M and see if they get fatigue or level off. They had that 2022 recruiting class that even Saban claimed was bought. Most of the players left and got drafted off of different teams. So that was a huge waste.

Will they do it again or change like you think?
 

Gopher_Devil said:
I think this type of stuff is unsustainable and will ultimately go away. People will always contribute in some capacity and will be emotionally attached. But I also think they’ll move to more reasonable contracts/values and for players who have proven themselves.

5 mil on a 17 year old OT? In almost any aspect I think this idiotic

3.5 mil on a 21 year old OT with starting experience, 80+ pff grade, 2 years to play? Now we can talk about it.
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How do you feel for 17 year olds who aren't college athletes? If a 17 year old rapper/artist gets signed to a contract larger than some random 20 year old who is so-so, do you complain about that too?

How about the money paid to child actors? That kid from 2 and a Half Men was making WAY more than lots of adults in hollywood, did you have an issue with that?
 

GopherTheJugular said:
How do you feel for 17 year olds who aren't college athletes? If a 17 year old rapper/artist gets signed to a contract larger than some random 20 year old who is so-so, do you complain about that too?

How about the money paid to child actors? That kid from 2 and a Half Men was making WAY more than lots of adults in hollywood, did you have an issue with that?
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I’ve heard of being the devils advocate but I’ve never seen someone take it to the level you’re on lol

I think we missed each other on some of the points I was trying to make but I’ll try to boil it down to one response.

Paying a 17 year old 5 mil when they’ve never even done the thing you’re paying them for is unwise. In my opinion it’ll lead to more trouble than it’s worth. TAMUs class you referenced was notorious for falling apart/underperforming. They have a top 5 class to this day so obviously the well is deep and they aren’t fatigued yet. I also don’t think anyone’s program will collapse I just think you’ll see these mega donors begin to cut back or move on.

I’m happy for the kid. I hope he earns it and uses the money wisely. I just don’t trust the contract, model, or culture around TTU. 5 mil is cool and all but sometimes less money and a better culture/development program is the better long term option. I wish MN had more resources like the Texas schools but I’m also happy with what they have now.

FWIW TTU is still ranked behind us. And neither TAMU/TTU has won 10 games/yr in over 10 years. Not really a part of the argument but interesting nonetheless.
 

Gopher_Devil said:
I’ve heard of being the devils advocate but I’ve never seen someone take it to the level you’re on lol
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haha I can get like that sometimes. Just love a good, spirited debate.

I can agree with some of the things you wrote. It might not be wise to pay someone that young to do something they've never done before, but sometimes the market is what it is. When I graduated college in the dot com era with a Computer Science degree, I got great offers from established companies but then a start-up came in and offered more. I don't think they were wise to pay me, a young person with minimal experience, that much money, but they chose to because they wanted to hire people and get in the game and they had a bunch of wealthy investors to fund it. Kinda similar, except the money was no where near $5 mil, sigh.

I'd be skeptical of the contract too if I were him. Definitely have an independent lawyer or two look it over, etc.

New thought: I wonder if this will eventually impact the NFL. I mean, normally kids kinda had to enter the draft because only the Reggie Bush's actually graduated with any money. Now, if you get millions in college but suffer some concussions, will players start to think, "hey, I have a few million in the bank, lemme just save my body and go into coaching at a high school"?
 
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Gopher_Devil said:
I think this type of stuff is unsustainable and will ultimately go away. People will always contribute in some capacity and will be emotionally attached. But I also think they’ll move to more reasonable contracts/values and for players who have proven themselves.

5 mil on a 17 year old OT? In almost any aspect I think this idiotic

3.5 mil on a 21 year old OT with starting experience, 80+ pff grade, 2 years to play? Now we can talk about it.

Empathy/emotional fatigue is real. Even for rabid CFB fans. A few flames outs and a couple bad deals later and all this ridiculous NIL stuff will level off.
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I don't think billionaires are going to stop wasting their money anymore than the rest of us. Their seemingly irrational decisions just have more zeros after them. How about Phil Knight propping up Oregon for years now? John Ruiz and Miami? This doesn't seem any different. "One man's junk is another man's treasure". They have money to burn and can do so in any way they see fit.
 


https://www.espn.com/college-footba...5/all-college-football-ought-cheer-texas-tech

Some interesting points:

"The best part, at least thus far, is that the Red Raiders aren't alone as an upstart program attracting top-tier talent out of the Class of 2026.

Zion Elee, an edge rusher from Baltimore who is the nation's No. 2 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, is staying home at Maryland.

Keisean Henderson, a QB from Spring, Texas, and No. 3 nationally, is committed to Houston.

Calvin Russell, a wideout from Miami, who is ranked No. 21, is pledged to Syracuse."

and

"Consider that from 2018 to 2025, the Tide and Dawgs basically priced themselves out of recruiting three-star players. Bama signed an average of just 2.9 a year. UGA was at 3.5. This year, Georgia already has seven three-stars committed, and Alabama six."
 

SeaBee_Gopher said:
I don't think billionaires are going to stop wasting their money anymore than the rest of us. Their seemingly irrational decisions just have more zeros after them. How about Phil Knight propping up Oregon for years now? John Ruiz and Miami? This doesn't seem any different. "One man's junk is another man's treasure". They have money to burn and can do so in any way they see fit.
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This, and like everything before, this "clearinghouse" won't matter at all. It'll just go back to bag men and under the table money again. As long as there are uber-rich people willing to buy players that won't change.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...5/all-college-football-ought-cheer-texas-tech

Some interesting points:

"The best part, at least thus far, is that the Red Raiders aren't alone as an upstart program attracting top-tier talent out of the Class of 2026.

Zion Elee, an edge rusher from Baltimore who is the nation's No. 2 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, is staying home at Maryland.

Keisean Henderson, a QB from Spring, Texas, and No. 3 nationally, is committed to Houston.

Calvin Russell, a wideout from Miami, who is ranked No. 21, is pledged to Syracuse."

and

"Consider that from 2018 to 2025, the Tide and Dawgs basically priced themselves out of recruiting three-star players. Bama signed an average of just 2.9 a year. UGA was at 3.5. This year, Georgia already has seven three-stars committed, and Alabama six."
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so his reasoning is you can throw millions at a guy to stay home (Elee from Baltimore, where MD has historically recruited super well; or Henderson, who lives in a suburb of Houston) or to come play multiple sports with you (Russell is playing both football and basketball at Cuse)

He's not describing any new phenomenon, just that were now also throwing money at it. MD has signed 3 5 stars since 2020 despite being ass pretty much every year. Houston is still 14th of 16 in the B12, and signing 2 sport athletes always ends up being if someone allows you to play both. Same actors get all the top recruits as they did before and you get random offshoots to schools kids go for other random reasons. I guess now its fun we added another one in that you can try outbid everyone for a player too?
 

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