Have you looked at the commits?
IMO, there are only a few that have a real opportunity to compete in their first year in Big 12.
Not really, just curious where our new players are coming from. Some of the all time great players in the program have been from out of state, thereās no question about that. But the successful teams historically have been heavy on Houston/Texas rosters.
Your rightā¦ā¦
Do you remember when we used to have to sweat out commits being drafted and not making it to campus?
The talent was insaneā¦.lots of guys drafted and we know how highly some were picked.
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I do indeed remember those days.
What went wrong, and regardless of what might have gone wrong, can it be fixed in todayās NIL environment?
Two big questions.
Whit went wrong.
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Well, if itās that simple, then the obvious follow on question is whether any other coach will be able to fix it in todayās NIL environment.
NIL for basketball (which only takes a few players per year) seems strong, but we arenāt known for being an NIL power in football, and in baseballā¦it seems like a stretch.
Just sayinā!
Nobody is going to extend NIL support to a dead program that has a fundamental problem with recruiting and developing players. Weāre not struggling to get players because of NIL - thatās just an easy excuse to use.
Get the right coach and things will work out.
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to be fair, just last year a commit went in the 1st round and didnt make it to campus, but i hear you.
How so, if the hypothetical āright coachā doesnāt have the NIL resources to compete against the so-called ābig boys?ā
Just asking!
Itās not the same in baseballā¦.baseball can absolutely be fixed VERY quickly with the right coach.
The right hire can get you into regionals with $0 NILā¦.then when fans come back and it gets rolling there will be NIL to help get to the CWS level.
But again, it does not have to be a huge pile of cashā¦.Baseball is a different animalā¦.plus now kids getting full scholarships is a huge deal.
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just because you can fund the 34/35 scholarships doesnt mean we have the ability to. If we did, then yes that makes NIL dollars a lesser issue.
Which of our āright coachesā donāt have NIL resources?
We donāt have to be top 20 in NIL handouts to be top 20 in baseball. You can take a look at the current Top 25 and see several examples to prove that point. If UTSA, Coastal Carolina and Southern Miss can get there, we simply have no excuse to be Big 12 flotsam.
Based on the rankings Iāve seen of NIL and collectives, Sampson definitely has more than enough.
UH doesnāt make the $10 million NIL club, but is closely behind at $8 million or so; more than enough to be competitive.
By contrastā¦
In footballā¦
Willie Fritz may be at a disadvantage, one that we can only hope to make up for because of our inherent advantage in the transfer portal, being in the Houston area.
UH is nowhere close to the top in that.
As for baseballā¦
It takes a lot more players to build a baseball roster than a basketball roster, so Iām skeptical of anyone that imagines we could be an NIL power there.
I hope Iām wrong though.
Maybe full scholarships are the key, but even then, every other D1 school could offer the same.
Yes, I understand how that worksā¦.thanks.
And that was my point, with full scholarships that saves kids and their families a chunk of moneyā¦.its increased money that takes the place of NIL for most of these kids.
I have already had conversations with several parentsā¦ā¦they also understand there is going to be more competitionā¦ā¦the days of giving 10 fringe players book money to fill out your roster are over.
Those kids will play D2 or Juco now.
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Its clear you understand it from a high level, but Iām not sure you or anyone knows how many scholarships the program will have funded and offer the next year and in the short term. It can actually work against us if we offer only say, say 14, have little NIL dollars, and other programs are funding 25-30 and have moderate NIL money.
Coaching is a huge piece of it, probably the largest. They set the tone for everything, but it would be nice to see the university or alums follow through with the $ to support the staff, whether they are new or not.
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Iām not going to argue with you about this. No matter how many times you point to NIL, thatās not whatās holding our baseball program back. There are no facts to support that, unless you have testimonials from players who went elsewhere because they got better deals. Thatās not the problem.
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But it does seem all 5 of us fans will know something before the weekend. It will be an interesting offseason if it goes that way. Still pulling for a miracle.
Well, donāt get me wrong.
Our program started falling off well before NIL was a thing.
So obviously NIL isnāt the only reason for our decline.
BUTā¦ā¦
OTOHā¦ā¦
It might indeed be an obstacle for us when it comes to turning things around.
Full scholarships are nice, but EVERY D1 school has that option now; given that fact, itās not exactly a real advantage for us over other programs per se.
I canāt help but think that we will struggle to sign the best HS talent not going pro without some better NIL resources, and that could hold us back, regardless of the coach.
Againā¦I hope I am wrong and will REJOICE if I am.
I agree 100% with what you said and no, I donāt know how many full scholarships will be funded by each school.
But if you are in the Big 12 you better not be funding 14-15 schollysā¦ā¦if you are then just shut it down.
From coaches I have spoken with I get the feeling most schools have the money to fund full scholarships for as many kids as they deem worthy.
I am looking into the UTSA, Samās, and UTRGV schools to get some sort of confirmationā¦.but from what I have heard the power schools have the $$$$ to fund 30-35 or what they feel is merited.
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Then rejoice.