The winning dynamics have changed. They say “if you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.”
In addition to all the recruiting disadvantages UH has had in the past, NIL is the game changer. UH has addressed some of these disadvantages by joining the Big 12 and planning for a new football-only athletic facility, but the real game changer is NIL.
UH is competing with blue bloods and universities that think their blue bloods, all throwing money at their NIL programs like it came from a monoply game.
UH needs to play that game but be better at it. I would like to see the city pull together to keep it’s home-grown talent here at home. Establish a city-wide NIL with corporate sponsors, as well as UH alumni and friends of UH. I would love to see UH be one of the first universities in a major city to collectively organize a corporate NIL on behalf of the city. Winning UH football is good for the city and good for corporations with a large presence here.
Yeah this is a good idea but as stated above, ultimately the typical top level recruit is going to want to some place that offers then a chance at getting better, and winning. Those generally go hand in hand.
Nothing about this season suggests that any player has improved; in fact they have all gotten worse.
So, while I support the NIL movement, not sure how successful it would be.
NIL is always important in this environment but this is a coaching problem… not a talent problem. We just lost to Tulane and barely beat Rice. We routed those teams last year.
We need local restaurant owners to set up an NIL program to attract goliath lineman. They can put a poster of offensive tackle Lurch Gigantes saying “EVEN I DON’T LEAVE HERE HUNGRY!” or whatever.
More seriously, I don’t know how much we need it generally but we need to think hard about how to attract linemen.
I would love to see a steak restaurant sponsor a NIL for the OL and/or DL (Taste of Texas, are you reading this?)
How about a 30 minute infomercial, staged as a competition between the OL and DL? Have an audience cheering on each team to make the event festive. Have Derek Parish as honorary color analyst. Give a trophy to the winner. A win win for the restaurant and UH. If the campy July 4th hot dog eating contest can get ratings, this could too.
BTW, if this were ever to happen, who would win, OL or DL?
Good ideas. But Houston is a selfish city when it comes to colleges. There are so many transplants here they make it seem like Constantinople. Just millions of people all going different directions. Its hard to get people to slow down and pay attention to a college team. Sampson had to get to number one to get his arena packed every night. That’s an unfair and lofty expectation.
NIL wise they did very well; W/L wise, aggies horrible but ut good (ut 8-5) but not great.
So NIL isn’t the only ingredient to having a good or great season. But chances of being good or great with weak NIL is probably nearly an impossibility.
