The advent of NIL has meant the recruitment process in college football has become a more arbitrary process now. It is no longer about if a coach likes your mom’s cooking when they visit your house, trying to explain your fit in the program. Recruitment is undercut by a binary equation of how many zeroes are at the end of your cheque. This was one factor, amongst a host of others, that came to light for Florida edge rusher Jack “Psycho” Pyburn to transfer over to LSU.

Jacksonville native and boyhood Gators fan Jack Pyburn hit the portal in sensational circumstances. Headed into his final year of eligibility, Pyburn presented a list of demands to Florida. After they refused to meet said demands, he left to join the Tigers. Initially, it was reported that the demands were pertaining to remuneration. Jack Pyburn allegedly asked for $45,000 each month in NIL money to remain at the Gators. Now, a plethora of other demands and issues, perhaps fallacious, have surfaced

Reportedly, Pyburn asked to be a guaranteed starter, as well as a guarantee that he’ll play every 3rd-down. The player denies this. Gators insider Brandon Olsen leveraged his insight on the matter. Guesting on the After Further Review: LSU YouTube channel, Olsen said, “Once those ‘demands’ came out, [the] whole fanbase just turned on him. Because, of course, they seem like insane demands. He was already the starter. But if you’re the starter this year [that] doesn’t mean that you would be guaranteed to be the starter next year.”

Olsen proceeded to give Jake Pyburn some benefit of the doubt. “I’m a firm believer that a lot of the numbers ever reported are not super accurate when it comes to financials,” he said. However, Brandon Olsen’s primary discernment was echoed for the third demand.

“As for the pass rushing part, being on 3rd downs, I mean, a pass rusher on 3rd downs? I understand it. I do respect it…Guys get paid to rush the passer, and if you’re in coverage, you’re not rushing the passer. However, I do think this Florida defense is going to drop their edge rushers in coverage. It’s not a Jack Pyburn-specific thing. TJ Searcy dropped in coverage even more than Jack Pyburn did.” said Olsen.

It is worth noting that Searcy has hit the portal in the past 24 hours or so. Olsen continued, “It’s a common thing with the defense that’s going to happen. Defensively, from a coaching standpoint, I can’t see guaranteeing a guy, ‘Hey, you’re not going to be dropping in coverage,’ because that’s an important part of the defensive scheme. So I feel like it might have just been one of those things where, mutually, the best decision is to part ways here.”

Seems like Gators’ HC Billy Napier’s style of play had a knock-down effect in this predicament. This is not the first time a pass rusher has left Florida for this specific reason.

Olsen stated that Princely Umanmielen was open about why he left the Gators to join Ole Miss after the 2023 season. Princely wanted to rush the QB more and showcase his skills, but the scheme was a hindrance. A year on, the same thing has transpired, albeit with a couple more facets at play. Naturally, the wider CFB sphere caught wind of Jack Pyburn’s demands and weighed in.

Jack Pyburn may have instigated a domino effect in CFB akin to the NBA

“Player power” is often a point of discourse among sports, especially the NBA. The notion that athletes have too much control over moving around teams is prevalent. This notion is somewhat justified as well. LeBron James’ move to Miami is cited as the birth of this. It appears that CFB is faced with something similar. The introduction of NIL and the transfer portal means kids can move around more freely, as is apparent with Jack Pyburn.

That said, Pyburn’s social media activity would suggest he’s been done wrong. He posted a cryptic message on Instagram, relaying the lyrics of a song. The lyrics read, “You broke that bond, now when it comes to you, my feelings weak.” This adds a layer of nuance to an already muddy exit from Florida. With fellow teammate TJ Searcy also diverging, this one could be more than meets the eye. Billy Napier may have to go back to the drawing board.

CFB player turned member of media Adam Breneman gave his thoughts on this. “If there really were broken promises behind the scenes, can you blame him? Players have to fight for themselves,” he said. This leads to the aforementioned “player-power” bit. Jack Pyburn’s transfer is a microcosm of the overarching change in college football. His success or shortcomings at LSU could dictate how other players use the power bestowed upon them by NIL and the portal.