@Goosegg posted:I wasn't focusing on the NIL aspect; that is just a piece of the puzzle.
I was trying to make potential college recruits (and their parents) see how out of their control all their well-laid plans are in light of the landscape of the present day.
LSU (and its peers) recruits kids early - real early (9th grade, earlier if possible). How many of those 20+ "commits" (yes, 20 a class) will actually play a role at LSU? Well, that 18 year old in that class of 20 will need to compete not just against the remnant of the 20+ in the two/three classes above him - but compete against the absolute best transfer players in the country.
Fine, we say; the cream will rise to the top, competition is good. But each of those 20+ were the cream of their time. So, most will find homes in other programs. Which programs, you ask? Well, LSU peer programs, mid-majors, JUCO powerhouses. What happens to the players in those programs displaced by the LSU former commits/players transfering/matriculating to the new college? It trickles down from there, eventually impacting virtually EVERY D1 program in the game of musical chairs, but with players.
If we were discussing professional baseball, that's fine and understood as the rules of the road - perform or walk; but the underpinning of college ball is SUPPOSED to be getting a reasonable education.
I don't know how a family navigates this new world; the LSUs are effectively the same as unaffiliated minor league teams, building a brand new roster EVERY year - while simultaneously stuffing the pipeline with HS dreamers who live on hopium and wear their LSU gear through the HS halls.
The blame isn't with LSU - its playing within the rules, bringing in heavy weight coaches to teach (note: NOT DEVELOP) these rental players. But, parents and players need to realize that the kid is a simple commodity to most D1 programs - fungible, replaceable, transitory.
Anyone thinking kids get a real college education under these circumstances is seeing an illusion.
While the current rules allow for the annual reconstruction of power teams, that is totally inconsistent with any real education for most kids. (For example, just think about transferring credits.)
If a family values the educational aspect of college - and not just giving it lip service - the new world is very difficult to navigate.
What has been created - IMO - is a system which has totally lost and failed in the mission: a reasonable college education. What has been created is a business where players - who are supposed to be students - are merely disposable workers, cogs in a machine, who are used and disposed of at will.
In its desire to dismantle the NCAA oversight and overbearing ways, college coaches got their dream: disposable gladiators to whom nothing is owed and from whom everything is expected.
End of rant.
Have you been reading my mail, sir? Many of us have been saying this for the past 2 years. And I for one have been amazed at how many HS players (and parents) refuse to recognize what is going on despite the facts being right there in front of them. They continue to waste money on showcase events that play to the wrong audience, chase numbers instead of skills, pay for scouting service ratings, and essentially plod along as tho nothing has changed. It’s very frustrating to watch for those of us that try to help kids get placed. IMO never have player expectations been more unrealistic. It’s almost as if they have been brainwashed by the PG, PBR, and VTool media and can’t see the truth. Hmmmmm? Brainwashed by media ….….. I have seen a lot of that somewhere else too. Just can’t quite remember where. Oh well, it will come to me.