Texas football, in line with the other top college programs in the country, has always been a magnet for the best amateur talent. In 2021, in a landmark ruling from NCAA v. Alston, the Supreme Court permitted player compensation through name, image, and likeness (NIL), thereby giving the nation’s most prestigious college football teams a leg up on the field. The concept of player empowerment has been a significant factor in college recruitment over the past three seasons and beyond, with schools enticing potential future stars with the promise of financial gain.
This weekend, the aforementioned Texas football program went above and beyond with a lineup of Lamborghinis outside their athletic facility, a spot of high foot traffic for visiting recruits. In a sport where just three years ago, a suspension was commonplace for an athlete receiving compensation, college football has now become a bidding war for top players, a development that has rubbed many fans and coaches the wrong way. Texas’ blatant and public use of high-valued material items has been the topic of discussion on football Twitter (also known as X) this weekend, with some fans and coaches expressing concern about the direction of the sport.
College Football Fans: React to Texas Football Recruiting Tactics
Texas football is fresh off a College Football Playoff (CFP) birth and a two-loss season, so they are doing something right. Last season, headlined by quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns had the third-best recruiting class, per 247Sports. In an attempt to keep the gravy train flowing in Arlington, the Texas brass rolled out the red carpet for recruits this weekend, with a hefty number of Lamborghinis outside their athletic facility as a welcome for potential prospects enjoying their on-campus visit.
Lamborghinis lined up outside the Texas athletic facility where recruits enter for their official visits this weekend.
Just 3 years ago CFB players were getting suspended for autograph sessions.
We’ve come a long way.pic.twitter.com/dMcitqrZ45
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) June 7, 2024
With NIL playing a massive part in the college football landscape since 2021, presenting lavish vehicles outside a campus landmark seems like the new norm. However, that doesn’t mean plenty of college football fans and coaches aren’t opposed to the sport’s direction. Over the weekend, many took to social media in disgust about what NIL has turned college football into in the past few seasons.
HS coaches are teaching:
Character > Talent
Team > Me
Process > Outcome
Academics > AthleticsMeanwhile, they’re seeing the opposite. Can’t keep blaming “kids these days” for living by the rules of athletics today. https://t.co/DWvrJKp08V
— Luke Mertens (@LukeMertens) June 8, 2024
The sports world is officially broken.
Athletes enter to this and then as a coach you try to build a Team First team. No “i” in team mentality. Stick with it, show some grit, never give up.
Lambos, transfer portal = easy street.
College football was once in the business of… https://t.co/NFbSZRS5XR
— Jim Shapiro (@jimshapiro) June 8, 2024
This is not what collegiate athletics is about.
— Sidelines – Texas State (@SSN_TexasState) June 8, 2024
My biggest boomer take is that if you recruit kids that care about this kind of stuff then you probably won’t be a championship caliber team anyway. https://t.co/I6m0kmcOS0
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) June 8, 2024
SMU got the death penalty for 61k. 🤦🏻♂️
— Jarod Mitchell (@jarodmitchellx) June 8, 2024
Soon no one will watch college sports because it will be the same as the pros…..
— cgc4200 (@cgc4200) June 8, 2024
This needs to leave college sports. https://t.co/zI2u7GZqhk
— Shannon Terry (@ShannonTerry) June 8, 2024
Texas Football’s Highest NIL Earners
Texas football, one of the most storied programs in the sport’s history, is back near the top after a nearly two-decade hiatus. After nine straight double-digit winning seasons, including two trips to the BCS Championship, Texas floundered from 2008 to 2022, winning ten games only once during that span. However, in 2023, their third season under head coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas football earned a trip to the CFP for the first time since its inception in 2014. It’s no secret that hiring Sarkisian and the birth of NIL has helped leapfrog the Longhorns back into college football glory.
Heading into next season, Texas houses two of the biggest NIL earners in college football. Quarterbacks Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers have a combined NIL valuation of $3.3 million. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, wideout Isaiah Bond, edge rushers Trey Moore and Colin Simmions, and interior lineman Jake Majors are all top 100 NIL earners in the country, per 247Sports.
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