247: Elite 2023 recruits see NIL as a matter of respect

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247Sports anonymously surveyed 93 players at the 2023 All-American Bowl, asking them on a scale of 1-5 how much NIL factored into their recruitments with five meaning the most and one the least. The average answer was 2.1. A moderate factor, but a factor, nonetheless.

Just under 42% of players said NIL was at least a 3 on a 5-point scale in terms of importance while 34.4% players answered with a 1. Notably, 18 players said they already have agents. Of that group, they averaged a 2.7 on a 5-point scale in terms of NIL importance.

For Miami running back signee Mark Fletcher, the No. 168 player in the Top247, NIL was just a single factor among many. But he does consider NIL offers a matter of respect.

“I don’t think you want to go somewhere where, like, you don’t seem appreciated as much,” Fletcher said. “It’s how you’re viewed as a player and if you’re a priority to coaches. And I’m pretty sure that’s how most recruits feel.”

This was echoed by Florida defensive line signee and top 100 recruit Kamran James: “It shows how far a school is willing to go for you.”

This isn’t necessarily the consensus. As the anonymous survey showed, there are still a decent segment of top prospects who largely ignored NIL influences in their recruitment.

LSU four-star signees linebacker Whit Weeks and offensive tackle DJ Chester are in that camp. In fact, Chester’s dad largely kept him in the dark about NIL. In Chester’s words: “He didn’t want my head to get too big.”

Both future Tigers said their performances at LSU will matter far more in the long run for making money than anything promised out of high school, especially because they both know NIL money can be taken away.

“The school sets you up for all the connections later in life,” Weeks said. “NIL is quick money that is easy to spend.”

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