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Things are getting pretty interesting..

Agreed. I still think we will have a suk 2022 season but - given our unobtrusive NIL presence, I am really pleasantly surprised by recruiting
 
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This recruiting class is getting pretty serious. What makes it more impressive is that Cats are landing these kids with no real NIL cooperative in place yet. Fitz deserve a ton of credit and respect. Just wish they were all officially signed on the dotted line!!
I tend to be an optimist regarding NU football, but I never expected this type of recruiting success after last season's results, the advent of NIL money, and the near total collapse of the NCAA as a regulatory body. Perhaps we are seeing a reaction to the threat to amateur/college athletics among some young men and their families. Certainly, the old ideal had merit, even if it was seldom realized in practice. Fitz has long been its great expositor, and he may be benefiting from his years of integrity, sincerity, and demonstrated concern for his players as young men in college rather than treating them as commodities to be purchased on an open market. Regardless, I am thrilled by our success in this recruiting season and hope the enthusiasm carries over onto the field this fall.
 
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This recruiting class is getting pretty serious. What makes it more impressive is that Cats are landing these kids with no real NIL cooperative in place yet. Fitz deserve a ton of credit and respect. Just wish they were all officially signed on the dotted line!!
Are we sure about that NIL cooperative?
 
NO NIL? Are you sure?
I think something is going on but when I hear myself say it, I feel like I'm making up a conspiracy theory. If there is something going on it is very quiet but isn't that just like Fitz? He is not nuts about the whole unregulated NIL situation so he would A) create a version of it that he thinks is just and B) not broadcast it to protect his strategy and reputation should anyone find him duplicitous.
OTOH, proposing that something is going on is a real insult to the coaches and the forward thrust of the program in that is suggests that all these tremendous commits are not based on the obvious merit of NU and and the football program.
 
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I think something is going on but when I hear myself say it, I feel like I'm making up a conspiracy theory. If there is something going on it is very quiet but isn't that just like Fitz? He is not nuts about the whole unregulated NIL situation so he would A) create a version of it that he thinks is just and B) not broadcast it to protect his strategy and reputation should anyone find him duplicitous.
OTOH, proposing that something is going on is a real insult to the coaches and the forward thrust of the program in that is suggests that all these tremendous commits are not based on the obvious merit of NU and and the football program.
NIL payments are legal, though state laws regarding them vary. If NU has used/is using payments of this kind, I am confident that its' doing so complies with applicable laws. That said, I have heard of no alumni or boosters funding NIL payments. Though, at least one Evanston-based vendor provided free food for one player who endorsed its pizza. Remember, the purpose of these payments was to compensate young people whose images or likenesses were already being used, generally by their own schools, video game companies, or suppliers of athletic equipment, without compensation. Only after the overly-broad Supreme Court decision did the opportunity to contract for students' endorsements become a reality that spawned rampant leverage-seeking coaches and boosters to conceive of consortiums and large-scale "endorsement deals", even if actual endorsements were minimal or even non-existent.
 
I tend to be an optimist regarding NU football, but I never expected this type of recruiting success after last season's results, the advent of NIL money, and the near total collapse of the NCAA as a regulatory body. Perhaps we are seeing a reaction to the threat to amateur/college athletics among some young men and their families. Certainly, the old ideal had merit, even if it was seldom realized in practice. Fitz has long been its great expositor, and he may be benefiting from his years of integrity, sincerity, and demonstrated concern for his players as young men in college rather than treating them as commodities to be purchased on an open market. Regardless, I am thrilled by our success in this recruiting season and hope the enthusiasm carries over onto the field this fall.
Heck of a job by the coaching staff and I’m excited for all the young men that have made the 40 year decision to go to Northwestern. Makes me a bit more optimistic about this upcoming season even though it doesn’t directly impact it. I’m hoping Brendan Sullivan (or Hilinski!) can revive our offense and that the defense returns to form in year 2 of the Jim ONeil experiment.
 
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Are you serious? There is zero NIL involvement here. None, zip, nada. We are not paying our recruits. This notion is so preposterous I cannot believe I’m even typing this response. And yes, I am sure. The fact this is even being insinuated is an insult to our coaching and recruiting staff.

/s ?

Of course, the university isn't paying, but do you mean that NU boosters et al aren't offering any NIL? Don't we have meager evidence to the contrary? (Brandon Joseph car lease)
 
I think something is going on but when I hear myself say it, I feel like I'm making up a conspiracy theory. If there is something going on it is very quiet but isn't that just like Fitz? He is not nuts about the whole unregulated NIL situation so he would A) create a version of it that he thinks is just and B) not broadcast it to protect his strategy and reputation should anyone find him duplicitous.
OTOH, proposing that something is going on is a real insult to the coaches and the forward thrust of the program in that is suggests that all these tremendous commits are not based on the obvious merit of NU and and the football program.
well, it can't be based on winning percentage, size of stadium and crowds and the great beer served. So, what's left? $$$.
 
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I tend to be an optimist regarding NU football, but I never expected this type of recruiting success after last season's results, the advent of NIL money, and the near total collapse of the NCAA as a regulatory body. Perhaps we are seeing a reaction to the threat to amateur/college athletics among some young men and their families. Certainly, the old ideal had merit, even if it was seldom realized in practice. Fitz has long been its great expositor, and he may be benefiting from his years of integrity, sincerity, and demonstrated concern for his players as young men in college rather than treating them as commodities to be purchased on an open market. Regardless, I am thrilled by our success in this recruiting season and hope the enthusiasm carries over onto the field this fall.
Amazing 🤩
 
Are you serious? There is zero NIL involvement here. None, zip, nada. We are not paying our recruits. This notion is so preposterous I cannot believe I’m even typing this response. And yes, I am sure. The fact this is even being insinuated is an insult to our coaching and recruiting staff.
I know for a fact that NU Athletics has been meeting to come up with a NIL plan for FB and BB. It will probably be on the conservative side, but they will be doing something with NIL. It’s not “buying” players, but they need to do something within the rules, until the NCAA fixes the mess that College athletics has become. Believe me, the two coaches want help more than anybody!
 
I know for a fact that NU Athletics has been meeting to come up with a NIL plan for FB and BB. It will probably be on the conservative side, but they will be doing something with NIL. It’s not “buying” players, but they need to do something within the rules, until the NCAA fixes the mess that College athletics has become. Believe me, the two coaches want help more than anybody!

The point remains…the recent success of our football recruitment was not impacted by any sort of NIL inducements/payments.
 
Only after the overly-broad Supreme Court decision did the opportunity to contract for students' endorsements become a reality that spawned rampant leverage-seeking coaches and boosters to conceive of consortiums and large-scale "endorsement deals", even if actual endorsements were minimal or even non-existent.
The Supreme Court case DID NOT say anything about NIL payments. It pertained specifically to extra payments from the UNIVERSITY (i.e. not NIL, which CANNOT come from the university) for education-related expenses.

Some states like California did pass NIL laws, so the NCAA threw up its hands and opened the floodgates.
 
With the recent decision allowing Illinois schools to facilitate NIL, I could see NU getting involved in some NIL program that is more modest in $ but more “stable” playing a bit off the investment that NU makes in its student athletes. NU saying, if you’re a student athlete in good standing and representing NU well (not just in field production), you will get these NIL $ for the duration of your education.
I’m sure some of these crazy NIL 6-7 figure deals, for kids who’ve not taken a college snap, may be filled with contingencies and could be pulled at any time just like they could be pushed or encouraged out at a football factory.
 
I tend to be an optimist regarding NU football, but I never expected this type of recruiting success after last season's results, the advent of NIL money, and the near total collapse of the NCAA as a regulatory body. Perhaps we are seeing a reaction to the threat to amateur/college athletics among some young men and their families. Certainly, the old ideal had merit, even if it was seldom realized in practice. Fitz has long been its great expositor, and he may be benefiting from his years of integrity, sincerity, and demonstrated concern for his players as young men in college rather than treating them as commodities to be purchased on an open market. Regardless, I am thrilled by our success in this recruiting season and hope the enthusiasm carries over onto the field this fall.

I'm not that surprised. This class reinforces what I've said before for many years, that the benefit of an excellent season is most apparent in the recruiting class signed two years later. It's fun to see this play out yet again after being ripped for this observation earlier. This has almost always been the pattern.
 
NU generally does not recruit the kind of kid that needs the money. Our kids have parents who know what the street value of a NU degree commands. So there might be "something" to sweeten the pot but generally, NU FB players have decent cars and don't need to turn to on-campus burglary, etc. (Yes you Notre Dame...)
 
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NU generally does not recruit the kind of kid that needs the money. Our kids have parents who know what the street value of a NU degree commands. So there might be "something" to sweeten the pot but generally, NU FB players have decent cars and don't need to turn to on-campus burglary, etc. (Yes you Notre Dame...)
What kind of kid doesn't need money??!!
 
What kind of kid doesn't need money??!!
Right? or, for that matter, whether they need the money or not, who wouldn't take it? Here are the choices you are presenting to a hypothetical 17 year old, and let's say you are competing with another B1G team:

1) Fitz 40 year degree worth 80k a year (it isn't, but that's another post)
2) Other programs that are as successful as ours, football-wise, that are AAU schools, so you can get a good education, and there is a known/publicized NIL program that pays, say, 50k a year.

I am hearing undertones / hints of the development of an NU NIL program, and I'll take those hints at face value for now, until proven otherwise. We don't have to have the best NIL program, but we must have something reasonable compared to our B1G brethren and others like us. It cannot be "nothing"
 
I'm not that surprised. This class reinforces what I've said before for many years, that the benefit of an excellent season is most apparent in the recruiting class signed two years later. It's fun to see this play out yet again after being ripped for this observation earlier. This has almost always been the pattern.
We were both ripped for suggesting that the biggest benefits were in years after the season moreso than the year of the good season. It is generally a bit late to have a full impact in the year of the big season but it stimulates interest in subsequent classes
 
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Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimeters in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Ceratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult. Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions. Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of its host. Some species prey on other insects.
 
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Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimeters in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Ceratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult. Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions. Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of its host. Some species prey on other insects.
The wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and Indonesia, although one species occurs as far north as Japan.
 
The wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and Indonesia, although one species occurs as far north as Japan.

Look out for sharks...

lake-wobegon-cherilyn.jpg
 
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Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimeters in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Ceratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult. Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions. Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of its host. Some species prey on other insects.
I beg to differ with that absence from the arctic, or at least the subarctic. No-See-Ums are just as annoying as mosquitoes, if not more so.
 
Look out for sharks...

lake-wobegon-cherilyn.jpg

...where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.
Ah, but I do miss those Saturdays listening to Garrison Keillor. At least I can still enjoy Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie or something akin to it.

It became part of my kids' cultural enlightenment as they found themselves a captive audience as we traversed Anchorage taking care of weekend errands.
 
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Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimeters in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Ceratopogonidae are holometabolous, meaning their development includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago or adult. Most common species in warmer climates will take about two to six weeks to complete a life cycle. Both adult males and females feed on nectar. Most females also feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, to get protein for egg-laying. Their bites are painful, and can cause intensely itchy lesions. Their mouthparts are well-developed for cutting the skin of its host. Some species prey on other insects.

Dasyhelea major, an algal mat feeder, is perhaps the most important insect in the Everglades yet it is a non-biting Ceratopogonid. In fact 99.9% of the ceratopogonids encountered in the Everglades interior are not biters. The biting species are mainly along the shoreline.
 
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I beg to differ with that absence from the arctic, or at least the subarctic. No-See-Ums are just as annoying as mosquitoes, if not more so.

They're worse because Culicoides spp. (that's the main biting genus) are so small they fly right through mosquito netting.
 
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Ah, but I do miss those Saturdays listening to Garrison Keillor. At least I can still enjoy Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie or something akin to it.

It became part of my kids' cultural enlightenment as they found themselves a captive audience as we traversed Anchorage taking care of weekend errands.

And don't forget to keep using your share of catsup, which contain natural mellowing agents, as we all know, thanks to Garrison Keillor. But its definitely hard to beat Beebopareebop Rhubarb Pie.
 
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