Illini Football 2026

#104      
illinoistradition
bluemountain said:
It's hard to keep up with the SEC and top BIG programs here. South Carolina just got a commitment from a top 100 HS DB - rumor is he is getting $1.5M
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I would much rather spend that money on proven portal players. With the number of busts we’ve had over the years with top 200 kids, it’s not worth burning that kind of money on someone who hasn’t played a snap of college ball.
 
#105      
lstewart53x3
illinoistradition said:
I would much rather spend that money on proven portal players. With the number of busts we’ve had over the years with top 200 kids, it’s not worth burning that kind of money on someone who hasn’t played a snap of college ball.
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Agreed. You could pay a kid $1.5 million for his freshman year where he barely plays, then he transfers out for $2.5 million his sophomore year and you received zero value for your investment.

You also have to be careful overpaying for a player too because of what that can do for your team culture. You're paying the freshman DB who doesn't play $1.5 million. How much should the starters make?
 
#106      
RabidDawgClassic
lstewart53x3 said:
Agreed. You could pay a kid $1.5 million for his freshman year where he barely plays, then he transfers out for $2.5 million his sophomore year and you received zero value for your investment.

You also have to be careful overpaying for a player too because of what that can do for your team culture. You're paying the freshman DB who doesn't play $1.5 million. How much should the starters make?
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“Investment” is probably the wrong choice of words here as neither the school nor the donors (especially the donors) expect to see tangible return on the money they provide to the player. For the school, each payment is merely a cost of doing business each year while most donors are paying for close access to the team. The $1.5 million player this year will be replaced by a $1.5 player next year. And what would’ve been a $2.5 million sophomore will be purchased from another program for roughly that same price.
 
#107      
lstewart53x3
RabidDawgClassic said:
“Investment” is probably the wrong choice of words here as neither the school nor the donors (especially the donors) expect to see tangible return on the money they provide to the player. For the school, each payment is merely a cost of doing business each year while most donors are paying for close access to the team. The $1.5 million player this year will be replaced by a $1.5 player next year. And what would’ve been a $2.5 million sophomore will be purchased from another program for roughly that same price.
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Not sure I agree. Sure, it’s not an investment in the sense that a donor expects a monetary return, but it is an investment because donors and schools would like to get value in return for the money they’re spending. In this situation, that value is simply being a good player and contributing to winning football.

And just like any other investment, there’s opportunity cost. $1.5 million going to the freshman not playing is $1.5 million less for the starter level transfer you can no longer afford.
 
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