Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

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#51      
I guess this leads to the question of whether our overall NIL situation is not as good as we originally believed? It was mentioned for basketball we just don't have the NIL to compete for higher end prospects or high value transfers and it seems that for football we definitely struggle (for multiple reasons). Are we more mid-tier P5 then when it comes to NIL vs. Upper tier? Or even bottom tier when it comes to football? If so, it would explain a decent amount even in this new era of *cough* recruiting.

I guess the overall question would be in terms of total NIL available to us, about where would we rank in the current and expanded B10? Upper half? Middle? Bottom half? Bottom 25%?
It's crazy in that if you look at overall booster donations from 2005-2022, we are #26, but then again Virginia is #13 and look where that has gotten them. I'm sure it's not this simple, but we seem to have a lot of $$ support compared to many schools, but our performance doesn't show it yet. Source: Reddit, but I believe this is accurate.
  • 50. Memphis Tigers: $170 million
  • 49. Maryland Terrapins: $194 million
  • 48. Minnesota Golden Gophers: $199 million
  • 47. Oregon State Beavers: $201 million
  • 46. Colorado Buffaloes: $208 million
  • 45. NC State Wolfpack: $216 million
  • 44. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: $220 million
  • 43. UCLA Bruins: $233 million
  • 42. Nebraska Cornhuskers: $236 million
  • 41. Iowa State Cyclones: $249 million
  • 40. Arizona State Sun Devils: $265 million
  • 39. Mississippi State Bulldogs: $273 million
  • 38. California Golden Bears: $283 million
  • 37. Purdue Boilermakers: $289 million
  • 36. Kentucky Wildcats: $302 million
  • 35. Ole Miss Rebels: $310 million
  • 34. Virginia Tech Hokies: $319 million
  • 33t. Kansas State Wildcats: $324 million
  • 33t. Arkansas Razorbacks: $324 million
  • 31. Mizzou Tigers: $344 million
  • 30. North Carolina Tar Heels: $344 million
  • 29. Arizona Wildcats: $346 million
  • 28. Indiana Hoosiers: $351 million
  • 27. West Virginia Mountaineers: $354 million
  • 26. Illinois Fighting Illini: $373 million
  • 25. Penn State - $386 million
  • 24. Wisconsin - $389 million
  • 23. Texas Tech - $396 million
  • 22. Washington - $402 million
  • 21. Michigan State - $439 million
  • 20. Louisville - $450 million
  • 19. Kansas - $459 million
  • 18. South Carolina - $466 million
  • 17. Clemson - $476 million
  • 16. Iowa - $477 million
  • 15. Michigan - $493 million
  • 14. Tennessee - $500 million
  • 13. Virginia - $516 million
  • 12. Alabama - $528 million
  • 11. Ohio State - $536 million
  • 10. Florida State - $540 million
  • 9. Auburn - $580 million
  • 8. Oklahoma - $597 million
  • 7. LSU - $618 million
  • 6. Oklahoma State - $670 million
  • 5. Georgia - $716 million
  • 4. Florida - $763 million
  • 3. Texas - $766 million
  • 2. Texas A&M - $849 million
  • 1. Oregon - $969 million
 
#52      
It's crazy in that if you look at overall booster donations from 2005-2022, we are #26, but then again Virginia is #13 and look where that has gotten them. I'm sure it's not this simple, but we seem to have a lot of $$ support compared to many schools, but our performance doesn't show it yet. Source: Reddit, but I believe this is accurate.
  • 50. Memphis Tigers: $170 million
  • 49. Maryland Terrapins: $194 million
  • 48. Minnesota Golden Gophers: $199 million
  • 47. Oregon State Beavers: $201 million
  • 46. Colorado Buffaloes: $208 million
  • 45. NC State Wolfpack: $216 million
  • 44. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: $220 million
  • 43. UCLA Bruins: $233 million
  • 42. Nebraska Cornhuskers: $236 million
  • 41. Iowa State Cyclones: $249 million
  • 40. Arizona State Sun Devils: $265 million
  • 39. Mississippi State Bulldogs: $273 million
  • 38. California Golden Bears: $283 million
  • 37. Purdue Boilermakers: $289 million
  • 36. Kentucky Wildcats: $302 million
  • 35. Ole Miss Rebels: $310 million
  • 34. Virginia Tech Hokies: $319 million
  • 33t. Kansas State Wildcats: $324 million
  • 33t. Arkansas Razorbacks: $324 million
  • 31. Mizzou Tigers: $344 million
  • 30. North Carolina Tar Heels: $344 million
  • 29. Arizona Wildcats: $346 million
  • 28. Indiana Hoosiers: $351 million
  • 27. West Virginia Mountaineers: $354 million
  • 26. Illinois Fighting Illini: $373 million
  • 25. Penn State - $386 million
  • 24. Wisconsin - $389 million
  • 23. Texas Tech - $396 million
  • 22. Washington - $402 million
  • 21. Michigan State - $439 million
  • 20. Louisville - $450 million
  • 19. Kansas - $459 million
  • 18. South Carolina - $466 million
  • 17. Clemson - $476 million
  • 16. Iowa - $477 million
  • 15. Michigan - $493 million
  • 14. Tennessee - $500 million
  • 13. Virginia - $516 million
  • 12. Alabama - $528 million
  • 11. Ohio State - $536 million
  • 10. Florida State - $540 million
  • 9. Auburn - $580 million
  • 8. Oklahoma - $597 million
  • 7. LSU - $618 million
  • 6. Oklahoma State - $670 million
  • 5. Georgia - $716 million
  • 4. Florida - $763 million
  • 3. Texas - $766 million
  • 2. Texas A&M - $849 million
  • 1. Oregon - $969 million
Is this money going to the athletic department or university in general? Also booster money can’t be used for NIL deals so you might have awesome facilities but no money for NIL

It is still interesting
 
#53      

illini80

Forgottonia
We don't have SEC money and we don't pretend that we do ... But Altmyer, Newton, Randolph, Williams, Adams, and a few others ... Are all being compensated very fairly for their services ...

Elzy & Feagin were not and are not free ...

This is all about Name, Image and Likeness ... 95% of people do not even know more than 5-6 players on this team ... Makes it a lot harder to find deals for them ...
I know we have some key guys with nice deals now and that’s great. I guess what I’m wondering/asking is whether that support is from long time donors who we can depend on no matter what or is that new money that could easily get discouraged and dry up with a poor showing this year? Appreciate your insights and comments always.
 
#54      
While I agree with you ... We don't have the $$ to pay for every position ... We have got to develop our OL guys ... We have got to develop our DB & LB guys ...

Our $$$ will be spent on QB, RB, WR, DE, and maybe one elite OL ... And that is really all the "big money" we've got ...

If you perform well though and are super marketable (Chase & Syd) ... We have great boosters who take care of that NIL piece beyond what our "salary cap" might allow us to spend on them ...
I always feel like big ten linebackers that don’t go to tosu are super slow. I know we can’t but I wish we could spend some there. I’d spend there over O-line and I know that makes me sound crazy. But I had a football guy tell me once that you need a couple fast guys on offense, but 11 fast guys on defense. That always stuck with me.
 
#56      
I know we have some key guys with nice deals now and that’s great. I guess what I’m wondering/asking is whether that support is from long time donors who we can depend on no matter what or is that new money that could easily get discouraged and dry up with a poor showing this year? Appreciate your insights and comments always.
College football and basketball is becoming almost identical to their pro counterparts with one obvious and critical difference. That being a drafting process designed to spread the wealth (best players). Why any school not named Alabama, Ohio State (you can name the rest) would want to compete this way is beyond me.
 
#58      
While I agree with you ... We don't have the $$ to pay for every position ... We have got to develop our OL guys ... We have got to develop our DB & LB guys ...

Our $$$ will be spent on QB, RB, WR, DE, and maybe one elite OL ... And that is really all the "big money" we've got ...

If you perform well though and are super marketable (Chase & Syd) ... We have great boosters who take care of that NIL piece beyond what our "salary cap" might allow us to spend on them ...
It’s been noted before that our basketball program has a strong NIL backing. Is that not true or does it simply not extend to football? Do our donors earmark their contributions to only be spent on hoops?
 
#59      
This statement from Mark Stoops in an article made me finally realize the utter futility of our attempts to compete in big time college sports:

With the Kentucky faithful up in arms, head football coach Mark Stoops was on The UK Healthcare Mark Stoops Show and stated that if Kentucky fans were upset about the loss, they needed to "pony up more" NIL money and insinuated that all 85 of Georgia's players were paid.


Two things are obvious. 1) While it has always been true, players (football and basketball) expect to benefit for there work whether it be through direct payments of one type or another or indirectly through facilities and the many other other enhancements that come from playing big time sports. Open and legal compensation, as enabled by NIL, has accelerated the subsequent burden on college programs and the their supporters. 2) Though some programs are finding ways to compete in this new environment, most will remain irrelevant, relegated to remaining cannon fodder for the relative few teams vying for the playoffs.

Another thing that has not been talked about is the greed involved here. "Greed" has always been mentioned within the context of universities crudely using players to line their own pockets. While this is true, another aspect of greed has become apparent. The better/best players are demanding the largest piece of the compensation pie leaving very little for their follow players. In a way, they have become the white collar CEOs (eg. quarterback) who demand high dollars for their work while expecting the blue collar (eg. linemen) to take whatever the market will bear. I find this somewhat hypocritical in an age when so many rail against individual and corporate greed.

My interest in college sports has begun to wane as I realize that the University of Illinois, the only program I truly love, has no real chance to compete. Just my two cents.
Well said
 
#60      
It’s a big silent auction, with schools now competing on the invisible “NIL fundraising field”. There’s no end to it, as each seeks to outbid the others for professional talent. Hard pass.
 
#61      
College football and basketball is becoming almost identical to their pro counterparts with one obvious and critical difference. That being a drafting process designed to spread the wealth (best players). Why any school not named Alabama, Ohio State (you can name the rest) would want to compete this way is beyond me.
And unrestricted free agency. One time, anyway.

It really is a perfect setup for the NFL if you consider college ball as a minor-league feeder system. Why spread the talent all over the country, when you can concentrate it in a couple conferences (including portaling it in from non-P2 conferences when applicable). Play the minor-league best against itself and let the cream rise to the top.

NFL doesn't care if Alabama wins ten years in a row, as long as all the scouting and sorting of players is done by them.
 
#62      
It’s been noted before that our basketball program has a strong NIL backing. Is that not true or does it simply not extend to football? Do our donors earmark their contributions to only be spent on hoops?
Bigger donors may designate a particular sport or even a particular player. Not so smaller donors - their $$ go into a common pool. At least that was the process under Illini Guardians. I believe that they used $15k/year as their benchmark.
 
#64      
Yeah, because saying that like 5 years under Lovie worked out so well.
"Illinois: 287 years of NFL coaching experience! Most in the NCAA"
Wait, Lovie was not a good fit for Illinois, I thought the conversation was about developing players for the NFL. I am saying this staff is well qualified.
 
#65      

illini80

Forgottonia
Purdue/Walters getting a CB from one of the top TEs in the country. Pretty amazing how, in a handful of months, our 2 schools are in very different places recruiting-wise
I’m shocked how well Walters is recruiting. I will say I think Purdue was in a much much better place when he arrived vs Illinois when BB came and that makes a big difference. But it’s hard to watch.
 
#66      

Cook

Richmond, VA
It's crazy in that if you look at overall booster donations from 2005-2022, we are #26, but then again Virginia is #13 and look where that has gotten them. I'm sure it's not this simple, but we seem to have a lot of $$ support compared to many schools, but our performance doesn't show it yet. Source: Reddit, but I believe this is accurate.
  • 50. Memphis Tigers: $170 million
  • 49. Maryland Terrapins: $194 million
  • 48. Minnesota Golden Gophers: $199 million
  • 47. Oregon State Beavers: $201 million
  • 46. Colorado Buffaloes: $208 million
  • 45. NC State Wolfpack: $216 million
  • 44. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: $220 million
  • 43. UCLA Bruins: $233 million
  • 42. Nebraska Cornhuskers: $236 million
  • 41. Iowa State Cyclones: $249 million
  • 40. Arizona State Sun Devils: $265 million
  • 39. Mississippi State Bulldogs: $273 million
  • 38. California Golden Bears: $283 million
  • 37. Purdue Boilermakers: $289 million
  • 36. Kentucky Wildcats: $302 million
  • 35. Ole Miss Rebels: $310 million
  • 34. Virginia Tech Hokies: $319 million
  • 33t. Kansas State Wildcats: $324 million
  • 33t. Arkansas Razorbacks: $324 million
  • 31. Mizzou Tigers: $344 million
  • 30. North Carolina Tar Heels: $344 million
  • 29. Arizona Wildcats: $346 million
  • 28. Indiana Hoosiers: $351 million
  • 27. West Virginia Mountaineers: $354 million
  • 26. Illinois Fighting Illini: $373 million
  • 25. Penn State - $386 million
  • 24. Wisconsin - $389 million
  • 23. Texas Tech - $396 million
  • 22. Washington - $402 million
  • 21. Michigan State - $439 million
  • 20. Louisville - $450 million
  • 19. Kansas - $459 million
  • 18. South Carolina - $466 million
  • 17. Clemson - $476 million
  • 16. Iowa - $477 million
  • 15. Michigan - $493 million
  • 14. Tennessee - $500 million
  • 13. Virginia - $516 million
  • 12. Alabama - $528 million
  • 11. Ohio State - $536 million
  • 10. Florida State - $540 million
  • 9. Auburn - $580 million
  • 8. Oklahoma - $597 million
  • 7. LSU - $618 million
  • 6. Oklahoma State - $670 million
  • 5. Georgia - $716 million
  • 4. Florida - $763 million
  • 3. Texas - $766 million
  • 2. Texas A&M - $849 million
  • 1. Oregon - $969 million
Other than Georgia, the top ten can't be happy with the results for the money
 
#67      

TentakilRex

Land O Insects between Quincy-Macomb-Jacksonville
JUCO guys have been in the college weight room and JUCO is a lot better for talent eval than HS ... Some of these HS programs just don't play anybody and everyone looks good ... So it can be very hard to evaluate ...

Portal OL also command top NIL $$$ ... $$$ we should be spending on skill players ...

Parker Fleming (@statsowar) is saying the same thing about using the Transfer Portal for the OL.


Basically you have to top ten (if not higher) to get the best portal OL
 
#69      
Mystery Interest GIF by MASTERPIECE | PBS
 
#72      
Also referring to nil I remember people saying Purdue was behind on it but with there current recruiting has me wondering 🤔.are there recruiters just really selling or has there donors stepped up or is it a combination of the both.please insiders could you explain a better explanation I'm no insider and have little understanding how things go just kind of curious because I remember Purdue openly saying or article saying they wouldn't pay big maybe I remember wrong or just mis understood it would you all please explain it better to me or tell me what goes on behind the seens please
 
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