UCLA Basketball Took Major Step Forward in NIL Landscape ‘Our NIL Grew Exponentially'

UCLA men's basketball hit the portal hard this year thanks to their new and improved NIL funds.

Mar 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin (left) talks with guard Dylan Andrews (2) against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at T-Mobile Arena. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA men's basketball had a season to forget last year, going 16-17. Any season that doesn't end with a chance to win a National Championship is viewed as a disappointment for Mick Cronin, and he understands that.

Missing the NCAA Tournament isn't common for the Bruins, and major changes had to be made for them to get back on track. In the new NIL landscape, that can be harder than it once was.

Sure, players go to UCLA because of their history and Cronin, but there has to be a financial reason for them to attend the school now, too.

Forget all of the NBA talent that UCLA has produced, players want to be paid in college before they get to the NBA.

It was an impressive offseason for UCLA, landing many transfers who should play a major factor in the success they find next year.

Cronin spoke about what changed, flat out saying that UCLA's NIL "grew exponentially," according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.

"Our NIL grew exponentially," Cronin said. "All you have to do is look at our recruiting class this year versus last year."

A season ago, UCLA only had one transfer. Fast forward to the portal this time around, Cronin flipped the script, bringing in six transfers and two freshmen.

When asked about what changed and how they stack up with other programs, saying no one on the team got $1 million.

"I know you're going to ask me, are we the Dodgers? Where do we line up?" he said. "It's tough to say because the way things are now, you don't know.

"You only can guess because say I beat you for a recruit, you're going to tell everybody, 'Oh, he gave him $1 million.' It used to be, 'Oh, they cheated.' Now it's, 'Well, they gave him $1 million. They gave him $1.5 million.' Well, I can tell you, nobody [on the team] got $1 million.

UCLA is ranked No. 17 in the latest ESPN pre-season rankings. While they had their worst season in 15 years, the expectation is for them to return to the top and have a chance to do what UCLA has always done.