College football has always been compared to the NFL. You have some college football fans who don’t care for the NFL and vice versa. However, I fall into the category of enjoying both. I could sit there every Saturday and Sunday all day long and soak in as much football as I possibly can.
College football has always been different from the pros. From the traditions, long-standing rivalries, and atmospheres, college football just has something that the NFL doesn’t, despite being less popular overall.
However, the sport we all love is changing rapidly. Conferences are a jumbled mess, rivalries are going away, and don’t even get me started on the transfer portal.
Perhaps the biggest change has been players getting paid. It’s not uncommon for high-profile players to make millions of dollars in a single season. The same can be said for NFL players, but on a much larger scale, since everyone makes at least $840,000 or more.
But there was one thing that really grabbed my attention this past weekend when Texas Tech landed a commitment from five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo out of Mansfield, Texas. Now we all know that Felix is going to get paid, but what makes him so unique is the deal he has in place to come to Lubbock.
ESPN reported that his deal was a fully guaranteed, three-year, $5.1 million revenue share contract. However, others have reported that the guaranteed revenue share amount was about half that amount.
Then, you had reports stating that the deal is closer to $775,000 per year and that the deal could be renegotiated if NIL returns to the old way of doing things, akin to the Wild West.
No matter how you feel about players signing multi-year contracts, you’d better get used to it because this is going to be the new norm for highly touted recruits. I know Felix hasn’t played a down of college football yet, but he is getting treated like an NFL player with his deal.
There aren’t many multi-year deals out there that will change over time. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the best of the best sign a four-year deal for more money. Additionally, be prepared for incentives.
Much like the NFL, when a player makes an All-American team, All-Conference team, or wins an award, they will likely get a bonus of some kind. The better you play, the more you can earn.
I’m a pretty old-school person, and I am still getting used to the players getting paid. But hey, good for them for securing a bag while they can. And who knows, if players start signing multi-year deals, then maybe we won’t see so many of them in the transfer portal every year.
I would much rather see a player play at the same school rather than play for four different schools in four years. I think the sport is better off if schools offer more deals like this to keep them around, rather than just going to the highest bidder.
