Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- BYU football faces challenges with NIL deals affecting player retention and recruitment.
- Keelan Marion entered the transfer portal, seeking better NIL offers from major programs.
- BYU must balance individual player demands with team needs, as NIL dynamics evolve.
PROVO — A few years ago, on a recruiting trip to BYU, a prospective football player and his family placed priority on financial compensation during the visit with the coaches.
Rather than discussing such concepts as offensive and defensive philosophies or potential playing time, the topic was money. Essentially, the coaches figured any impending commitment was tied to cash.
Before making their pitch, despite the player's talent, the coaches were turned off. No surprise then he did not choose BYU.
Obviously, the advent of name, image, likeness has added another dimension to recruiting that often makes coaching more complex. Compounding the problem, roster retention also has become a major issue for programs across the country.
Twice a year, most college players can enter the transfer portal and join another program with immediate eligibility across all sports. It becomes a bidding war to a certain extent, as players and their representatives sift through the various financial packages and use them as leverage to secure the best possible deal.
Ultimately, the head coach and his assistants chime in on the amounts of compensation players deserve. Schools can say much of the money comes from outside sources, but coaches and administrators factor into it.
Following the model found in professional sports, players add to the coaching stress through wanting to renegotiate original NIL agreements. As athletes perceive their value improving, frequently at the urging of family members and others in the circle, they want more cash.
This was the case for BYU with Keelan Marion, a receiver/kick returner who entered the transfer portal last week after spring practice concluded. Within days of making it official, the former transfer from Connecticut received nearly 20 offers from major programs — the likes of Ohio State, USC, and Notre Dame.
More than likely, after returning two kickoffs for touchdowns to go with 24 receptions for 346 yards last season, Marion will get a better NIL deal from another school. At the same time, as in all cases, BYU must balance meeting the demands of one player against those remaining on the roster.
The point is, no single player is bigger than the team. In the end, even with BYU knowing it will miss Marion's talents, each side made decisions in their respective best interests.
To a lesser degree, the situation aligns with Nico Iamaleava, who left Tennessee after starting last season at quarterback on a team that made the initial 12-team playoff. Iamaleava, reportedly, wanted to double his already handsome NIL deal.
After the quarterback skipped practice ahead of the spring game, coach Josh Heupel announced Tennessee was moving on. ESPN reported Iamaleava was making $2.4 million on a contract that was worth overall $8 million.
After the spring game, Heupel, a former Snow College and Weber State quarterback and Utah State assistant, said: "This program has been around for a long time. There are a lot of great coaches who came before that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee football. It's going to be around a long time after I'm gone and after they're gone."
On Sunday, Iamaleava announced his decision to play for UCLA; Utah's first game in August is against UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
BYU is also expecting to lose linebacker Harrison Taggart, who joined Marion in the transfer after playing two years for the Cougars. After playing at Corner Canyon High in Draper, he played in three games during one season at Oregon.
Taggart, who has started 16 of the 24 games over the last two seasons, is likely seeking an NIL deal.
