The NIL era in college football has fully arrived. In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA could no longer limit student athlete’s abilities to profit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Most teams have already started taking advantage of this new landscape. For programs such as Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, the NIL really only makes it easier for them to remain atop the recruiting class rankings on a yearly basis. However, for smaller programs, this new recruiting tool provides a much better opportunity to level the playing field. And now, the University of North Texas is getting in on the action. Per the Denton Record-Chronicle, former school athletic director Rick Villareal and UNT booster Don Lovelace are now working to establish a collective for the Mean Green athletic program.
How this will benefit North Texas Football
While North Texas is not typically considered to be a “destination school” for most recruits, they have seen some quality recruits sign on recently. And now having the ability to offer financial compensation only increases the ability for UNT to draw in talent. Additionally, North Texas will be leaving the Conference USA (C-USA) to join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) starting in 2023. Most would consider the AAC to be the superior of the two conferences. Having some additional firepower in recruiting should certainly leave North Texas in a better position to attract quality recruits. It is also worth noting that local rival SMU will be waiting for the Mean Green in the AAC. Now on the same playing field, UNT is now in a much better position to competitively recruit local DFW talent.
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It remains to be seen how much (or how successfully) UNT is able to offer financially to players. However, the possibilities should absolutely excited Mean Green fans. With new tools at their disposal and a move to higher quality athletic conference, it seems likely that exciting talent will more often choose to call Denton home for their college careers
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