Report: Dawson Garcia passed on $1 million NIL offers to stay with Gophers

Garcia led the Gophers with 30 points in their win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday

Nov 6, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) celebrates his three-point basket against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers forward Dawson Garcia was offered substantial NIL packages by other programs this offseason but chose to remain in Minnesota, according to a report from the Pioneer Press' Andy Greder.

Garcia, a fifth-year senior, had the opportunity to take NIL paydays of "roughly $1 million" according to Greder's reporting, including from some traditional unnamed, powerhouse programs. Instead, Garcia chose to remain at the U for around $500,000, Greder says.

College athletes have been able to earn NIL (name, image and likeness) payments since 2021, with sums usually kept private. As the NIL market continues to evolve, those payments have started to become larger and more public. Minnesota has continued to try and improve their NIL collective, Dinkytown Athletics, to try and remain competitive in the quickly evolving market.

Former Gophers teammates Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M) and Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech) both left the U this offseason to reportedly take bigger NIL paydays than they were getting at the U.

Garcia returned to his home state in 2022 after previous stops at Marquette and North Carolina. Since joining the Gophers, Garcia has become a leading star on the team, earning All-Big Ten honors last season. He started off the 2024-25 season strong, scoring 30 points and grabbing eight boards in Minnesota's 80-57 win over Oral Roberts Wednesday night.

He helped Minnesota improve from nine wins in his first season to 19 last season.

The Gophers host Nebraska-Omaha Saturday at the Barn, with tip-off set for 2:30 p.m. CT.