ESPN: Tom Herman’s Rebuilding Plan

If we get back into national title contention soon this renovation investment will be insignificant.

 

Weight room renovations underway

from Fernando Lovo Twitter

 

The absurdity that is the NCAA. These college kids are huge revenue generators but they can not be paid. So I am AOK if they can get fancy-assed lockers. I'd rather see these kids get a a nice stipend than $10,000 lockers, and I am sure they would too. But those are the rules and you can expect it to get more and more absurd until they change. If you have the same rules in 2040, the lockers will dress these kids for them, like they are George Jetson or Richie Rich.

Ironically, I bet the typical NFL locker pales in comparison.

 

i know professors make a salary, but there are many making $100k and bring in millions in research dollars.

i'm in favor of reasonable stipends equal to some average middle class student would have access to monthly. but there are definitely high school football programs in Texas that are huge revenue generators. this really is a slippery slope. why allow college football players to be "paid" and not high school athletes?

do we pay only football players? Title 9 suggests we'll have to pay an equal number of female athletes. it's too simple to look at college football in a silo.

aside from reasonable stipends for scholarship athletes, i think it's wrong to think of amateur athletes as deserving to get paid when there's so many reasons not to and too many slopes to slide down.

 

X,

Several years ago, we participated in a study of major football "powers" across the US, which revealed that D-1 football players spend an average of 55-60 hours a week on school & athletics. Obviously, that is the equivalent of a regular college student taking 15 hours while holding down a full-time job.

Paying them will never work if the Title IX crowd gets involved. This is not a union shop; not everyone brings in the same amount of money, so not everyone is entitled to the same compensation. That can of worms can be the death of college athletics. Don't believe me? Remember the infamous words of that leader of Title IX, who was once in charge of our women's athletic program - Why does football get 115 scholarships, when only 11 can play at one time. Do they really need more than 25?

 

high school football players can spend 50 hours a week in season. what should they make?

the whole point is that it's a can of worms. and i have a bridge to sell if you believe title 9 wouldn't get involved. the slippery slopes are everywhere. what is the qualitative difference between the 18yo high school senior in state playoff games drawing 52,000? how much does he make?

 

There is a "small difference" between high school kid playing before an average of 3-4,000 fans at $5 a head AND a college player playing in front of 100,000 at $75 - !25 a head.

I brought up Title IX because I know they would jump in with both feet. Sooner or later that unlevel playing field will be disrupted, and I fear the most fertile place for that to happen is The University of Texas. If you have been around the program for very long and/or are close enough to know the things that have happened, it could easily bankrupt our athletic department. Hopefully the statute of limitations has or will soon run out, but I would have poms poms and a megaphone cheering for certain parties to "get their's".

 

Great points above. Some things are best left alone.

 

After paying for my two son's college costs to attend and graduate from Texas(both worked while attending), I can tell you these players are being paid well without the stress of admittance. A lot of these players would not get a whiff of admittance to Texas without the athletic scholarship.
Free housing, food, tuition, books and a stipend is worth about ....?? A degree from the University of Texas is worth about...??

 

These players are essentially working for free, considering that their work is directly responsible for The University getting over a hundred million a year from its football program. I have no problem with them getting a little extra spending money.

 

Sorry CH but up to 5 years of room and board, tuition, fees, books, computer, tutoring and free physical conditioning adds up even at a state school. Yes they don't get cash, but they are not "working" for free.

Add to all of the above the fact that the ones who are fortunate enough to play at the next level will earn more right out of school than any graduate.

 

I think instead of paying players the NCAA should allow players to make money through endorsements.

What's the difference between a normal college student working for money via local commercials and a student athlete doing same commercial for a few dollars more than a typical student?

Make a cap on the amount and it has to be paid through the NCAA to help prevent over zealous school donors. That way it is monitored at least.

 

Which many of them do.

 

God love the row team who would have to pay the school for their scholarship. you silo one sport, and act like doing a similar thing with other sports wouldn't upset the whole apple cart?
So sports that make money pay players and sports that don't make money are subsidized by the school? how is that fair to the school?

some high schools make big (relative to their budget) money off their sports. there is no logical reason to say to pay college athletes and not high school athletes if their school makes money on them.

again, i'd advocate for a more reasonable stipend for ALL D1 scholarship athletes. i have no problem with that.

 

They also receive free football coaching and physical training. No high school kid could get to the NFL without it. And even for the players that don't make it to the NFL, they still received the coaching and training.

They also get free publicity. It's the opportunity to turn your name into a brand. You get your name and your face on TV and become recognizable to a segment of the public. The amount of celebrity each player earns varies based on a lot of factors, but there is no doubt that celebrity can have value to players later in life, even if they don't make the NFL.

 

I dislike the idea of paying players an extra stipend. The reason they think they are playing for free is that everything is covered -- tuition, room, board, tutors, etc. If they want to go that route (optionally), pay them monthly like an employee and then itemize the costs/fees per month and bill them. I know no one would like the idea of 18-year olds having that responsibility but it would demonstrate that even at Texas they are probably getting paid near $100K/yr to play football.

On the other hand, universities should not have the right to use their likeness or name without compensation. Allow reasonable stipends through endorsements.

I think that notoriety is often overlooked as well. Since college sports generally equate to the minor leagues, one can easily make the comparison. Only the most die-hard Ranger fans would know their best AAA prospects. College players who excel are rewarded with headlines every Sunday morning. That figures big-time into a professional contract.

 

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/08/ncaa_study_finds_all_but_20_fb.html

This study found that all but 20 FBS schools LOSE MONEY on athletics. Almost all colleges are losing money on athletics.

The idea that college athletes should be paid doesn't fit hardly anywhere.

 

Update on Twitter today.

 

Today Coach Herman (and his new summer buzz haircut) opened the doors to the new locker room.

Source: twitter.com/texasfootball/status/892929687974019072

 

More from @TexasFootball

 

The introduction by Coach H

 

One more.

 

Full locker room reveal.

 

This mural in the locker room - look close at who is in there.

I see VY, Ricky, Brad Shearer, Bobby Layne, Colt, Earl Campbell, Earl Thomas, Tony DeGrate, Aaron Ross, Nobis, Ced Benson, Orakpo

 

Another locker story