Dillon CaderWhen Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and college athletics officially met each other on July 1, fans, particularly those of college football, began voicing their questions and concerns on if NIL will negatively impact the game. Fast-forward four weeks into the season and these questions remain unanswered.
Although it is still too early for anyone to give a certain answer, the beginning of the 2021 college football season has given everyone an opportunity to see for themselves if NIL has had any effect on the game.
One of the biggest concerns from many fans is if NIL deals would give big name programs such as Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Texas an unfair advantage from a recruiting standpoint.
Companies who are trying to increase their brand are more likely to sign bigger paying deals with players from bigger programs because of the amount of exposure these programs get. This in itself could potentially sway top recruits to sign with these programs.
Alabama beat writer for rivals.com, Tony Tsoukalas, says that NIL is “definitely an asset” for big name programs. “Players already come to Alabama to gain recognition on the field. It only makes sense that they will have the same mindset when it comes to capitalizing off of it,” Tsoukalas said.
Christian Clemente, the Auburn recruiting analysis and writer for rivals.com, says he hasn’t seen it impact anything yet, but thinks that “it’ll certainly impact recruiting no matter how hard the NCAA says they don’t want it to.”
Another concern was if all the attention around NIL deals would become a distraction to some players, causing them to underperform.
Although it is tough to tell exactly what makes a particular player struggle, it is notable to point out that through the first four weeks of the season some of the biggest names that were mentioned in NIL this past summer have vastly underperformed.
In the offseason, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler was labeled as an “NIL Poster Boy” and was an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. He signed multiple NIL deals, one of which was with Fowler automotive in Norman, Oklahoma which gifted him two brand new vehicles.
Rattler has disappointed many fans with his play so far. He no longer is considered the front-runner for the Heisman and in Saturday’s game against West Virginia, he was booed by his own fans. Some were even chanting for him to be replaced by backup Quarterback Caleb Williams.
North Carolina Quarterback Sam Howell was also expected to make a run at the Heisman and was a big target for NIL deals early on. According to ESPN’s Dan Murphy, Howell signed a six-figure deal with Super Glow trading cards.
Through four weeks, North Carolina is 2-2 and has fallen out of the top 25 after a poor showing in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. Along with that, Howell has dropped all but completely out of the Heisman race.
DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson’s quarterback and the replacement for the number one overall NFL draft pick Trevor Lawerence, also signed multiple NIL ideals including a deal with Dr Pepper and multiple fast food deals.
Uiagalelei has utterly underperformed to start the season, throwing for only three touchdowns and matching that with three interceptions. Uiagalelei has a QBR of only 46.2, one of the lowest in the country. His performance has been a big reason why Clemson has lost two regular season games for the first time since 2014.
The question will remain as if these players’ poor performances are a result of their recent NIL superstardom. Tsoukalas thinks that big NIL deals can potentially put a spotlight on players that could have a negative impact on them.
“NIL certainly creates more of a spotlight on a player that could affect his or her play,” said Tsoukalas. “It’s something athletes will have to balance now moving forward.”
Tsoukalas still thinks that the player struggles have more to do with the overall pressure that is placed upon them, rather than just the NIL, but acknowledges that the NIL spotlight could have a negative impact.
One player who wasn’t an initial big name in the NIL world is Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. Although not a surprise to those who watched him last year, Corral has shocked a lot of people with his play so far in the season.
Corral’s impressive play has the Rebels ranked No. 1 in the country in total yards per game and the 12th best team in The AP Top 25 poll after being unranked to start the season. He and Alabama’s Bryce Young are now the lone favorites to win the Heisman.
Not everyone agrees with the concept of NIL deals impacting players’ performances.
Clemente believes the deals have nothing to do with the players’ performance.
“I don’t think that’s really got anything to do with NIL deals, to be honest,” Clemente said. “I just don’t see that as a distraction by any means.”
Clemente added that he had not seen any difference in Auburn players who have signed deals.
Only time will tell how NIL will affect college football. Hopefully, the questions of whether recruiting will become utterly lopsided or if player struggles relate to NIL hype will be answered sooner than later.
