quote:
I don't know if this is the right thread, but I wonder what the best use of NIL money would be. Assuming we have a limited pot for baseball, is it best used to try to entice borderline high school guys, transfer guys out of the portal, or sophomore draft-eligible guys like Jones and Herring. I'm sure Kling will get drafted late, but at this point, I'd bet he opts to come back for another year of development.

I think when it comes to HS recruits, we're obviously never going to fully match a high first round signing bonus with NIL money. That's outlandish.

But each kid sets their number, and say someone like Schmidt has put the value of going to LSU at $3MM . He'd pretty much have to get a top 30 bonus go pro. Where NIL comes in isn't to replace the top 30 bonus, it's to make it to where it would take a top 25 bonus to sign (roughly $500k difference), moving his number from $3MM to $3.5MM.

All assuming every kid sticks to their number. Some do, some don't.

If real life plays out like my example and getting someone like Schmidt to campus for 3 years comes down to $500k, find the fricking money.

The NIL dollars can stretch farther on the margins though. Getting a fringe junior to stay another year instead of signing for $125k, shouldn't take a ton of money. The expected impact should be higher than the capital outlay. Ideally you're getting experience and leadership included.

The portal throws a wrench into all of that though and you have to set some money aside for when you need to fill glaring holes. Which makes the traditional recruiting and development all the more important.

There is always someone that's going to look to buy a trophy. Arkansas has been doing it for years. I still think they'll fail but they're going to keep trying (it amazes me they still get HS guys to sign with them). So you have to pick your spots. Like we did with White and Skenes. Like Tennessee did with Amick.