In stunning plot twist, Mario Cristobal loses high-profile Miami recruit
Mario Cristobal losing a coveted recruit raises the question: Can Lincoln Riley swoop in and pounce on Miami decommits and transfers? #USC
This is interesting.
Because of the NIL rules maybe yahoo now considers who goes to play as worthy business information similar to "Actor-so-and-so agrees to deal represent AllState Insurance in future ad campaign" or something like that?
I just saw it after reading this article - unfortunately it's behind a paywall but maybe some of you read the WSJ online?
Sharing a few paragraphs is allowed so...
The future of University of Miami’s football team was supposed to hinge on Jaden Rashada, a four-star quarterback from California who was a high-profile example of how big money promises to drive success in the new world of college football. In August, Rashada committed to Miami to begin playing in 2023, lured partly by a lucrative endorsement offer from LifeWallet, the medical-records and data company where billionaire Hurricanes booster John Ruiz is chief executive. Ruiz, through his company, and other boosters have been pouring money into name, image and likeness deals meant to entice top recruits to Miami’s sports programs.
Then something happened that no one expected. Miami started losing a lot of games in ugly fashion, first to Middle Tennessee State, then Duke. At 5-5, the Hurricanes are on the brink of missing out on a bowl game altogether. Meanwhile, several of the other programs who had previously courted Rashada, like Florida, were thriving by comparison. It all led to something momentous happening just after the stroke of midnight on Nov. 11. Rashada tweeted that he had decommitted from Miami and flipped to Florida. His tweet included a 43-second video in which he posed with the royal blue Lamborghini convertible of Florida booster Hugh Hathcock, who founded Florida’s Gator Guard booster “collective”—fundraising organizations that facilitate endorsement deals for a university’s athletes, Hathcock said he has not spoken with Rashada, an interaction that would not be permissible under NCAA rules, and loaned the car to the football team in June to use as a prop during official recruiting visits.
This is the new reality in college sports at a time when athletes can profit from their name, image and likeness, and passionate alumni are willing to throw millions at their favorite teams in hopes of securing a few more wins. Fortunes can rise or fall overnight. Alumni formed three collectives to back athletes financially. Meanwhile, Ruiz, a Florida businessman who was previously known for TV ads pitching his law practice, has become a controversial figure in college sports by spending more than $7 million through his company to sponsor Miami athletes since July 2021. Miami also hired a new athletic director and reportedly spent millions to lure Mario Cristobal from Oregon.
SNIP
Ruiz insists he is not that kind of donor. “This isn’t about winning sports games, this is about winning the game of life,” he said last week. “Our strategy and platform is different. But everybody else is focused on wins and losses.” Ruiz is undeterred by Miami’s mediocre football season. Ruiz plans to increase LifeWallet’s $10 million marketing budget to $15 million in 2023 and sign deals not just with Miami athletes, but those in “all 50 states plus Puerto Rico.” Ruiz hasn’t been shy about striking eye-popping endorsement deals with Hurricanes athletes to promote LifeWallet. Last spring, he drew ire for promising Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack $800,000 over two years plus a car.
“I run a lot of businesses and I’ve never seen the return on investment you get with NIL deals,” he said this month. His definition of “return on investment” is tied to social media impressions and brand recognition rather than teams’ win-loss records. Name, image and likeness, he said, “should not be just…we want a good team on the field’.” In fact, using endorsements as an inducement to attend a school is a violation of NCAA rules. The NCAA in June opened an investigation into several of Ruiz’s endorsement deals at Miami, but no consequences appear to have come of it. Ruiz said that he has not broken any laws and claims his deals have a “90 to 95% approval rating” from the athletes involved.
Full article here -
A Top Recruit Was Lured to Miami With a Big Money Offer. Then the Hurricanes Started Losing.
Four-star recruit Jaden Rashada picked Miami for the lure of endorsement deals. He flipped to Florida in the middle of a mediocre season for the ’Canes.
www.wsj.com
