SwampyWaters

The females always win in the long run, regardless of what the court rules. My divorce attorney - who was a worthless POS - told me the first time I met with him that if I could prove my ex-wife was a crackhead and a prostitute was the only way I was getting the kids and not paying child support in the state of Alabama. That was 15 years ago, and even though he was a POS, he was correct.

Whether we like it or not, NIL/transfer portal is destroying college football and it's just getting started. For years, Nick Saban was known for processing players that didn't live up to expectations, but all that has changed now. The players are in total control and coaches are now being processed, if they don't meet the demands of the star players.

The reality is 17 year olds Ryan Williams and Bryce Underwood are now in total control of two of the blue blood programs of college football - Alabama and Michigan. Despite what some may believe, Williams will determine who is the QB at Alabama next season, not DeBoer. If Williams walks into DeBoer's office and says he wants Milroe or Stimpson to be the starting QB, that's who it will be.

Underwood holds the same power, and may be even more powerful, at Michigan. The No. 1 QB in the country has yet to officially enroll at Michigan, but it's clear he will be in total control of his career at Michigan - who will be the HC, his QB coach, what WRs will start and what plays will be called. How is that possible? Five words - Larry Ellison and Tom Brady! When software developer Ellison - the third richest man in the world worth 209 BILLION - requests to have a secret zoom meeting with a recruit's family and the recruit also gets a private phone call from Tom Brady, that is power!

Sadly, NIL is just getting started, and future offers are only going to get larger and more outlandish each year!

It's easy to understand why coaches like Saban and longtime Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett decided it wasn't worth it anymore and it was best to just walk away.

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What makes you think it's the players' attorneys drawing up the paperwork? It's a negotiated process, just like any 5-8-figure business deal.

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I was assuming that because the players have all the power and the players are also just teenagers, so I would assume they would have legal representation to ensure they are taken care of. It is my understanding that some attorneys are now focusing strictly on NIL deals.

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They’re just saying he’s out of touch with the kids.

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I don't agree that he's out of touch with the players, but he's old school (which I love) and kids these days want you to kiss their arse and bow to their every whim.

Saban was an absolute dick to most of the players, but he won a lot and that's what matters. If LSU had only lost one game at this point, all the fans would be telling the players that are complaining to hit the road, if you don't like it.

However, we hit a losing skid, so now CBK is the bad guy and all the players are right. Saban is a prime example of you can do or say anything you like, as long as you win and win a lot. If Saban was an average coach, he would have been told to hit the road a long time ago.

Capitalism? Since you think it's OK for players to chase the money and use whatever means necessary to get top dollar, I guess you're okay if the top two players on your team leave midseason to go to another team because they got a better offer.

For weeks, it was being reported that Underwood was heading to LSU and it was basically a done deal. As of Oct. 29th, Sports Illustrated reported that Underwood had returned to visit BR several times and had not taken an official visit to any other campus.

In a matter of days, however, Underwood suddenly flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan and it's now being reported that, despite what was being reported by the media, Michigan was very much in the picture all along and the two parties had met secretly on several occasions. During this time, Underwood had also put several photos of him in an LSU uniform on social media.

So why would Underwood have no problem with the media reporting his several visits to LSU, but didn't want any word of his communication to Michigan getting out? I can only surmise that he was simply using LSU as bait to force Michigan to increase its price and it worked perfectly. The way this entire situation unfolded, it makes me wonder if Underwood ever had any intention of coming to LSU or were the Tigers just a pawn for bigger and better things.

I would like to think his commitment was sincere, but college football is the dirtiest business in the world, so nothing would surprise me!

How is Manning, who was rated the No. 1 player in the country coming out of high school, not a bust based on what he's done so far.

For the last two seasons, Manning has been unable to win the starting job and has become nothing more than a 5-star clipboard holder.

Yes, I would definitely call that player a bust!

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DJ Ukulele is another one that was max hype and aint shite

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I totally forgot about DJ and that's a great example. He was a "can't miss" and now he's buried on the depth chart of a horrendous FSU team.

The problem is we have these recruiting websites and sports radio talk shows that build these kids up to be bigger than life and fans just eat it up.

I heard a couple of recruiting "experts" state that Underwood was not only a "can't miss," but a "generational" type player, which I have no clue what that means.

The most talented high school football player I have ever seen was a running back from Philadelphia, Mississippi named Marcus Dupree. Blessed with size and speed, he was the Underwood of that time, but injuries and surrounding himself with bad people giving bad advice, his career was cut short.

So before we go labeling Underwood the best this and that, let's just see how this unfolds. He may be great, but he may not!

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Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, Drake Maye…want more?

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Apparently, you don't follow recruiting closely because for every 5-star that lives up to their billing, there are 50 so-called "can't miss" prospects that are colossal failures.

Underwood may have a great career at Michigan, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he's battling for a backup spot at Toledo in a couple of years. The reality is he's a 17-year-old kid with a lot of potential, but college football is a different game all together.

Remember these names?
Arch Manning - No. 1 QB in country, was going to revive Texas football and two years later is still a backup

Julian Sayin - No. 1 QB, destined to be the next great Alabama QB, signs with Tide and three weeks later he's a member of the Ohio State football team.

If you look at the tape, it's clear Underwood is very talented and he's the rave of this year's recruiting class, but he's not the first ultra-talented high school QB to be called a can't miss prospect, but rarely do they ever live up to the hype.

I think LSU made a very strong and fair offer, but he decided to take the money and run and I wish he and his family the best. IMO, there is no HS kid worth 5M+, and with the transfer portal, there's a strong likelihood he will end up at another school before it's all over with.

So while this is a tough pill to swallow, maybe remembering that these 5-star QBs recruits were also called can't miss players, will help soften the pain:

Mitch Mustain - if HS players could go straight to the pros, he would have
Ryan Perrilloux - we know the story
Shea Patterson - IMG kid, bounced around a couple of places
Tate Martell - attend several colleges, played TE at Miami
Ron Powlus - Beano Cook said he would win several Heismans
Arch Manning - still a backup at UT

Non-QB player
Arik Gilbert - highest rated TE recruit ever, probably locked up now!
(had to throw that in because kid had so much talent