Syracuse, N.Y. – This week’s Mike’s Mailbox is devoted to one person and one issue.
The person is Kamari Lands and the issue is NIL, the abbreviation for the NCAA’s new rule allowing athletes to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness.
Lands, a top 25 recruit in the 2022 class, had committed to Syracuse in April. But on Saturday, Lands announced that he had rescinded his commitment to SU.
One reason that Lands gave for re-opening his recruitment was that he wanted the chance to be recruited with the new NIL rules in mind.
Lands’ decision, and the reason he gave for it, sparked a lot of conversation on social media and also resulted in a deluge of questions for this week’s Mike’s Mailbox.
Q: I know coaches are not “supposed to’' recruit using NIL money, but has the new era of pay-to-play begun?
John S.
Mike: John is correct. Coaches are not supposed to recruit using potential NIL money as an inducement.
The NCAA specifically stated this when developing its NIL policies: “While opening NIL activities to student-athletes, the policy leaves in place the commitment to avoid pay-for-play and improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school. Those prohibitions would remain in effect.”
I’m sure there are coaches out there taking advantage of some misunderstandings regarding the new NIL rules, but they’re going against NCAA rules.
Q: With Kamari Lands decommitting from SU, but still considering them, what can the Syracuse coaches offer him or other recruits regarding NIL options in Syracuse?
Pete B.
Mike: As I answered above, the Syracuse coaches can’t “offer’' Lands or any other recruit guaranteed NIL money.
The most coaches can do is talk about NIL in general. The Syracuse coaches can point to the program’s popularity, not just in Central New York but nationwide. They can point to having the country’s top attendance. They can also note what current SU athletes -- like Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard or football player Josh Black -- are already doing.
Schools can also talk about setting up programs to assist athletes and help them navigate NIL offers and, perhaps, find NIL opportunities that suit them.
Q: Do you see Adam Weitsman or some other big-money SU boosters getting involved with NIL for SU basketball kids. If so, what could he offer that would be legal?
Bill W.
Mike: As far as fans/boosters like Adam Weitsman, the NCAA has said that boosters can’t just make an offer to a recruit to entice him to play for a certain school. A Kentucky booster can’t offer a kid $100,000 to go to Kentucky.
Now, will some boosters try to turn a payment into an NIL offer? Sure. That Kentucky fan might own a car dealership and pay a recruit $100,000 to appear in a commercial.
But the NCAA has said that all NIL deals must reflect “fair market value.’’ In other words, a business can enter into an agreement with an athlete with a reasonably expected return on investment, but a booster can make a “passion play’' offer to a recruit.
The next question is, “What is real fair market value?” Is it legit that a five-star quarterback going to Alabama is worth $500,000 in a commercial before he ever takes a snap for the Crimson Tide?
This is where the NCAA is going to have a real mess on its hands.
Athletes do have to report all NIL deals to their school to make sure everything adheres to state law or school policy. Some schools are working with companies that provide portals for the athletes to upload their NIL contracts. Syracuse is partnered with one such company known as INFLCR.
Q: How does an athlete know what he can make through NIL before he gets to the school? Don’t they have to establish themselves first?
Steve M.
Mike: A high school recruit is not going to know exactly what his earning potential through NIL will be before getting to the school.
Eventually, high school recruits will get a pretty decent gauge as more college players have taken advantage of their NIL rights. In a few years, there will be an established range of earnings.
Most athletes will have to wait until they get to college and play for a year or two before truly realizing their earning ability. As Steve suggested, they will have to establish themselves either as a star player or fan favorite or strong personality in order to earn money through NIL.
But some of the top recruits have established the beginnings of a brand either by their class ranking or social media following. For instance, Zion Williamson was NIL-ready coming out of high school.
Q: Do you think Kamari Lands is done with Syracuse or is he just weighing competing proposals?
Michael Y.
Mike: When I interviewed him on Saturday, Lands indicated that Syracuse was still among the schools that he was considering. I believe him.
But I also believe that it’s difficult for both sides to come back from this type of public separation. If Lands merely wanted to visit the Syracuse campus in person or learn more about his NIL opportunities, he could have done that without re-opening his recruitment.
Meanwhile, other schools have already been talking to Lands. Kansas wasted no time before swooping in with a scholarship offer.
I envision both Syracuse and Lands going their separate ways.
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