5 Things That Got Our Attention This Weekend

Collectives are the new hot topic in college football, what the Raiders moves might mean for Alabama and how the rest of the SEC is trying to keep up with the Crimson Tide.

The new thing in college athletics and NIL deals is called a collective, and fans need to get up to speed on them as they're spreading quickly in the Southeastern Conference. 

A collective is what it sounds like, a collective effort by everyone involved to get the fans closer to players through a variety of means, while helping athletes build their brands. 

It's essentially a super booster club, and separate from the university. 

Florida is among those leading the charge in this endeavor. 

"In times of dramatic change the learners inherit the earth, while the learned are beautifully equipped to deal with the world that no longer exists," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said he's been telling his coaches. 

He elaborated while on the Gator Talk radio program on Thursday night in Gainesville.

"The NIL space is probably the most dramatic change we've had in college athletics probably since the NCAA was formed," Stricklin said. "Just where athletes, forever, the NCAA put a wall around any commercial opportunities for student-athletes, where they got their scholarship but they weren't allowed to take or receive anything else."

So far, the Gator Collective has grown to more than 1,600 members and generated more than $210,000 in recurring revenue for NIL deals.

Per Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, in some cases, collectives look a lot like major corporations with large staffs and budgets. Some have attorneys as well.

Among the programs already with collectives are Texas, Auburn and South Carolina.

"It's a fascinating, really dynamic time and space," Stricklin said. "I do know one thing. Whatever it is, the University of Florida has a chance to be really good at it. We want the best. We want a championship experience with integrity for our athletes. We want to do things the right way. We're going to follow the rules."

Besides Alabama Basketball, Here's What Got Our Attention:

The final score was 87-78, just in case you wanted another remind of the Crimson Tide's win over No. 4 Baylor

Raiders Land New General Manager and Coach

The Raiders have apparently found their next head coach.

Las Vegas is reportedly set to hire Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The two sides are still finalizing the contract. 

This is on the heels of the Raiders hiring New England Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler as their next general manager. The Raiders reportedly wanted a tandem that had already worked together in determining the new direction of the franchise. 

McDaniels, 45, gets his second opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL after previously holding the title with the Broncos. He coached in Denver in 2009 and ’10, but was fired midway through his second season after a 3–9 start. He has been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for New England since ’12 following his first stint as an assistant under Bill Belichick from ’01 to ’08.

If you're wondering what this has to do with Alabama football, two things primarily: 

1) The numerous former Crimson Tide players on the Raiders' roster have to feel better about their roles and futures with the team. The Patriots have had a strong Alabama contingency for years. 

2) It opens the door for Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to possibly return to the Patriots in the same role. 

Lack of Detailed NIL Rules Challenges NCAA

Ralph Russo of the Associated Press reported that letters of inquiry have been sent to multiple schools in recent months surrounding NIL deals, but NCAA VP of Enforcement Jon Duncan clarified that these are not indicative of a formal investigation. 

"It's just dialogue with a school to get more information about whether violations have occurred," he said. "We’re not enforcing NIL deals, and we’re not enforcing the interim policy, which is largely permissive. We’re looking at rules that are still on the books and behaviors that are still violations. Or potentially (violations). ... It’s not an academic exercise for us. It’s not just exploratory to get our arms around what’s going on in this environment, understand the landscape. It is to satisfy ourselves that the transactions, arrangements, whatever, aren’t violative of bylaws that the membership tells us are important." 

Said Mit Winter, a former college basketball player who is now a sports law attorney for Kennyhertz Perry: "(The NCAA) can talk to and gather information from schools and the athletes. But any incriminating information is most likely going to be among people that either work for or have some involvement with third parties. ... I could see the NCAA wanting to gather information from the schools to see if there is any relationship between the school and its employees and the collectives. I can see the NCAA being very interested in that." 

Attorney Darren Heitner, who helped craft Florida’s NIL law added: "There is no body that can specifically assess what fair market value is in this context. It is completely subjective. Hopefully, we get more guidance and more clarification." 

Every program will soon have a collective

Alabama Athletics

Bobby Bramhall, the president and co-founder of Athlete Licensing Company, predicted to Eric Prisbell of On3.com that every Power 5 program will have an NIL collective within a few months.

“They are going to have to, and here’s why. Recruiting is going to be based around opportunities that an athlete can monetize their NIL when they get to a school. And so it’s not pay for play. But if these opportunities are there, you have to allow a famous athlete to make money off of who they are. And so if you get to a school and there’s no opportunities, an athlete is more likely to go to the Clark Field Collective at Texas … because there’s plenty of opportunity, one for playing time but also in the community.” 

On the pay-for-play issue, Bramhall said: “It is such a fine line. And as long as the opportunity presents itself as ‘market value,’ meaning somebody is willing to pay for that service or that appearance or that deal, then it becomes a checkout away from, as you said, recruiting or pay for play.

"What we’re seeing is that it is unavoidable because you can’t prove that the kid didn’t show up or that he wasn’t famous by being a University of Texas athlete. And, so, the recruiting is going to be a secondary thing of, 'Well, why wouldn’t you go to Alabama for Nick Saban as a football player knowing you might go to the NFL?' That’s a recruiting inducement, too. Now it’s going to be why wouldn’t you go to Alabama knowing there’s golf tournaments, and the donors bring commercial opportunities for you to speak to the Chevrolet dealership and whatever else it might be. I think that’s just a natural fallout of these collectives.” 

Tennessee Looking to Get Bigger

Tennessee Athletics

Per Football Scoop, Tennessee will increase its recruiting and personnel departments for football, and hire a pair of full-time, on-campus recruiting coordinators. 

Tennessee has openly targeted expanding and upgrading football personnel and recruiting operations as it seeks to build upon Josh Heupel's seven-win debut season and works to move beyond the NCAA investigation that resulted in the January 2021 firing of Jeremy Pruitt.

It landed a top-15 national class during the 2022 early signing period. 

The Vols also landed a couple of key late additions out of both Georgia and North Carolina to close with a class ranked in the top six of the SEC.

Bruce Pearl’s contract

USA Today

The SEC arms race is escalating in men's basketball as Bruce Pearl's new contract at Auburn is eight years (through 2030), for $50.2 million. Per AL.com it'll initially pay him $5.4 million a year with a $250,000 escalator each year, making the final year worth $7.15 million. 

The deal makes him the fourth-highest men's basketball coach in the nation behind Kentucky’s John Calipari, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (who is set to retire at the end of the season) and Villanova’s Jay Wright.

Auburn is also set to add salary bumps for assistant coaches and support staff members, though that has yet to be announced. 

Bonus: Brian Kelly Dance Party

If you haven't seen the latest video of LSU coach Brian Kelly dancing with a recruit, check it out, but we're just going to give you our favorite reaction to it. 

Of course, it was by Lane Kiffin, on Twitter: 

"Did you lose a bet or something @CoachBrianKelly?? This can’t be real. Photoshopped? Account hacked?? I mean …."

Have a great week.