NIL has killed Whittinghams formula for success and niche.

[BJA 13]

NM

[idahoute]

Your post is 100% true. The program was built on players development, loyalty, family, And do more with less. Gone. Irrelevant now. Have to reinvent now.

[GameForAnyFuss]

It would be interesting to see some school try this experiment: Give 100% of the NIL money to the linemen (offensive and defensive). Build two lines of 5-star hogs. Dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Obviously, that means your “skill” positions would be nothing but 3-stars and 2-stars. But even the most pedestrian QB looks good when he has all day to throw. Even the most average RB can pick up 5 ypc when the o-line is opening up holes. And yeah, you’d be at risk of giving up chunk plays with your underpaid defensive backfield, but opposing QBs would have no time to throw. Opposing RBs would be getting tackled for loss all the time.

They say football games are won and lost in the trenches. Utah’s biggest problem is we’re getting worked along both lines. Anyone else think a strategy like this might work, or am I nuts?

[EagleMountainUte]

Someone is going to figure out how to money ball the NIL eventually. It would be nice if Utah could.

[GameForAnyFuss]

“Billy, this is Isaac Wilson. His flaw is that his brother porked their mom’s best friend.”

[Xanthis]

I would agree with you if Utah wasn’t losing to AZ, ASU, and TCU. Those teams aren’t stacked and full of NIL players. This Utah team has a ton of talent that is being wasted on one of the worst offensive schemes in college football.

[Anfernee]

Yeah it’s so glaring to everyone (listen to Kuithe post game comments) this is a coaching issue. Blaming it on NIL is incorrect. This is a very talented group of pass catchers. But it doesn’t matter.

[BJA 13]

Jackson was a HUGE loss to portal/NIL.

Whititng hams MO was take lesser recruited players, build them up and then start them for 1-2 years. Anyone he builds up now is gone with NIL once they become starter material.

His entire recruiting and development system is now obsolete or is only build to feed the teams with more $$$.

Yes we should be winning against teams like AZ and ASU but that wasn’t the point of the original post.

[The Miami Ute]

Couldn’t rec this enough. That essentially is the problem in a nutshell. This not only for Utah but for any program that is not in the P2 or doesn’t have outrageous amounts of money.

This link Estimated NCAA Athlete Revenue Sharing 2025-26 shows how hard Utah’s task is going to be. It’s official, so I don’t doubt the numbers, and it shows that Utah is #46 in the nation in the likely amount each public NCAA I school would distribute to its athletes under the proposed NCAA revenue sharing agreement.

If money is the main driving factor, Utah will only be able to attract athletes that haven’t been offered by richer schools. And then, as you say, once you’ve got them coached up, some other school will come in and coopt the athlete. If that’s the way it is, I can see myself losing interest quickly.

[Anfernee]

Virginia bball coach just retired (younger than Whitt) and said he’s not the right guy to lead a team in this new structure. There’s more parity right now in college football than ever. So we need someone who can navigate and take advantage of what is there. Whether we like this new CFB or not. It’s not going back.

[The Miami Ute]

Yeah, I was shocked to see that. Tony Bennett is only 55 and has already won a NC. I remember when he started at Wazzu. He won’t be the only one. NIL, the lack of structure, the anarchy, the lack of predictability, is really starting to take all of the fun out of college sports. It’s almost like we’re returning to a sort of feudalism, where you have a bunch of robber barons calling all of the shots (abetted by the media) and every other program is essentially a serf.

[Tony (admin)]

Fans of teams that are winning right now probably don’t think NIL, lack of structure, the anarchy, and lack of predictability are taking all the fun out of college sports.

[The Miami Ute]

Sure, and the one percent feels that the way America is going right now is just perfect. At the end of the day, it’s all about who’s interests are getting serviced.

[2008 National Champ]

It’s more than just NIL though. People on here laughed about Kenny Dillingham’s postgame interview last week. Do you know who wasn’t laughing? His players. They absolutely love playing for a coach who is young, enthusiastic, doesn’t think the answer to every situation is the same one he’s been doing for the last 20 years.,,

Dillingham may never have a career anywhere close to what Whittingham has put together. But if you are a 17 year old senior, which coach would you rather play for RIGHT NOW? Because we are now at the point where next year’s recruits were not alive for Whitt’s crowning achievement.

[The Miami Ute]

There’s more to it than that. If you’re a 17-18 year old, Tempe is much more of a happening place than Salt Lake City.

[2008 National Champ]

Sure, but the relative entertainment opportunities between the two cities isn’t a new development. Any more than the fact that the state of Arizona produces more talent and Tempe is closer to Vegas and/or Southern California than Salt Lake is.

When the choice is old guy Herm v not quite so old guy Whitt (even discounting the racial aspect), maybe Utah can point to past success. But when it’s young guy Kenny + Tempe v winning old-style + SLC?

[Author]

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