BYU Basketball Coach Says Raising NIL Money is ‘Most Important Thing'

Cougars' coach and former NBA player Mark Pope speaks on NIL in Provo

The college landscape has changed in every sport throughout the past few years and those changes only look to be continuing. Some schools are more affected than others as NIL funds play a huge part in landing recruits and transfers.

BYU made the change to the Big 12 this past year after being in the West Coast Conference. In the WCC, BYU was typically one of the best teams in the conference and often found themselves ranked. The change to the Big 12 was a smart one given the financial benefits and ability to track new recruits. 

However, they've run into problems at times. Ques Glover, a former BYU signee who transferred to Kansas State, reportedly left the school due to NIL, according to head coach Mark Pope. Glover signed to play for BYU in May of 2023 but later re-entered the transfer portal.

“It was all NIL,” Pope said on why BYU lost Glover in August.

Glover's averaging 14.7 points for Kansas State and has arguably been the top player on the team.

When asked about the demand for NIL and the transfer portal, Pope had the following to say, according to KSL Sports:

“The most important thing we do is probably raising NIL money,” 

Having NIL funds not only brings in new players, but it helps keep existing ones. With multiple programs in the BIG 12 able to offer huge NIL deals to recruits, BYU has to step its game up. 

They're currently the No. 22 ranked team in the country, despite the 3-4 record in their first season in the conference. The BIG 12 will only get tougher with more schools adding to their NIL programs. BYU must do the same.