Interesting article on the ESPN website explaining how Nick Saban and Bama are adjusting to the new recruiting landscape as a result of NIL:
www.espn.com
After reading the article, you understand why Saban is so successful: instead of just complaining how NIL has changed the recruiting game, he has adjusted the Bama program to take advantage of it. He's also smart enough to recognize that success on the field will ultimately trump NIL money: "[Saban's] pitch to recruits, according to multiple sources, is simple yet effective: Do you want to make an extra $30,000 in NIL somewhere else, or do you want to come here and make an extra $30 million by going to the NFL? ... Saban says playing for national championships and developing for the next level should trump upfront NIL money. He can look no further than Texas A&M's highly touted classes of 2021 and 2022, which have seen 15 departures following a 5-7 season with just two wins in SEC play last season, for evidence that winning matters."
Hate to say it, but I think Swarbrick still refuses to accept and embrace change. There has to be a way ND can accommodate the brave new world of NIL without selling its soul to the devil, but I fear Swarbrick isn't creative enough, or simply isn't looking.
One year later: Who Alabama's Nick Saban was really talking to when he called out Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M
When Saban said A&M and Fisher "bought every player," that was his rallying cry to Alabama and its boosters to fund NIL or get left behind.
After reading the article, you understand why Saban is so successful: instead of just complaining how NIL has changed the recruiting game, he has adjusted the Bama program to take advantage of it. He's also smart enough to recognize that success on the field will ultimately trump NIL money: "[Saban's] pitch to recruits, according to multiple sources, is simple yet effective: Do you want to make an extra $30,000 in NIL somewhere else, or do you want to come here and make an extra $30 million by going to the NFL? ... Saban says playing for national championships and developing for the next level should trump upfront NIL money. He can look no further than Texas A&M's highly touted classes of 2021 and 2022, which have seen 15 departures following a 5-7 season with just two wins in SEC play last season, for evidence that winning matters."
Hate to say it, but I think Swarbrick still refuses to accept and embrace change. There has to be a way ND can accommodate the brave new world of NIL without selling its soul to the devil, but I fear Swarbrick isn't creative enough, or simply isn't looking.
