This entire month has been a wild ride for Buffs and Wolverine fans. And no, we are not talking about the 8-2 and 5-5 run. With the season almost reaching the “finale”, recruitments have been all over the place. Somewhere, every CFB fan knew this would happen. The 2025 class recruitment is almost over, so it makes sense that we will see some flips and some decommitts. However, there is a much bigger change unfolding behind the scenes. See, back in the Nick Saban era, recruitment used to be simple. The powerhouses got most of the good players because of the reputation they had. Now? Well, if you want the best of the best, you throw in that good NIL money and you have it all.

And that is kind of the case with Julian Lewis and Bryce Underwood. Back on The Pat McAfee Show, Nick Saban pointed out something important. “Well, I’m not sure if the system is great for development of players, but you certainly cannot blame the players for choosing the school for both reasons that you just said,” Saban pointed out. At the core, pursuing players with this entire “pay for play” model is not exactly sustainable. We all know what happened with the entire Jaden Rashada and Billy Napier lawsuit. So, there is always a potential risk. However, at the same time, Lewis and Underwood flipped for 2 specific reasons; Somewhere they can play but also garner a lot of wealth. And this mindset, in a nutshell, is modern recruitment for you.

For Lewis, while no NIL amount has been disclosed yet, we all know very well that playing for Deion Sanders comes with the added advantage of media fame, which in turn allows you to harness the brands and use them to build your future.

And for Underwood? We all know that Michigan has offered around $10.5 million NIL for the flip. Even when Underwood flexed on the people with that custom $15k LSU chain, somewhere the huge NIL amount managed to tip the scales and land the Wolverines on the top QB of the 2025 class.

Now, is this a bad thing? “It is certainly the best model for these guys to take advantage of right now because it is the ruse,” Saban points out. This does help Juju and Underwood secure a future which they problem won’t be able to do without the NIL money or the fame, and it is completely alright. But will this be good for their NFL career? “Maybe not the best model for that,” Saban noted. Regardless, you cannot deny that this change in the landscape brought us some amazing moments this season itself.

NIL is changing the game for teams

The first big example is the Buckeyes. Ryan Day and OSU have put upwards of $20 million into building a noteworthy roster. And has it paid off? The Buckeyes are currently sitting on the No.2 spot on the playoff list. So in short, yes, it has. They have the talent they need to win against big powerhouses, and that is the most important part.

Another example is Ole Miss. Last season, the Rebels lost to the Bulldogs at a blowout 52-17. Lane Kiffin had nothing to stop Kirby Smart and his offense. Fast forward to the 2024 season and the Dawgs went home with a disappointing 10-28 loss to the Rebels. 

The NIL factor allowed Kiffin to reach into the portal and build a defense and offense around his QB Jaxson Dart and this got him the result he wanted. They got their revenge and Ole Miss is well on its way to the playoffs. This NIL thing has the power to make any program good. You just have to know how to use it correctly.