A day after landing the consensus highest-rated player ever to sign with an Historically Black College and University program, Jackson State coach Deion Sanders fired back about the discussion throughout the sport of college football and among industry insiders who said that Travis Hunter had landed a lucrative financial Name, image and Likeness sponsorship.
“We ain’t got no money, we ain’t got no money,” Sanders exclaimed Thursday on Tiger Talk With The 1400 Klub. “A million-and-a-half (dollars)? I heard a million-and-a-half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool (company president). That’s the biggest laugh I ever heard.
“You know what that is, that means we kicked your butt. We took what was ours, and now you’ve got to make an excuse why. Ain’t nobody getting no million-and-a-half (dollars). I wouldn’t pay my son a million-and-a-half NIL (deal). How am I going to coach a guy that’s making more than me?”
Speculation surrounding a potential NIL opportunity for Hunter was rampant Wednesday as news spread that Hunter was flipping from his long-time commitment to Florida State – ‘Coach Prime’s’ alma mater – to Sanders’ JSU Tigers’ program. Additionally, three different coaches directly told FootballScoop that it was their understanding that Hunter had received a proposed NIL opportunity.
NCAA rules forbid a school to entice a student-athlete with an NIL opportunity during the recruiting process.
Schools can, however, show prospective student-athletes what other NIL deals have been earned by either their student-athletes or by athletes with similar profiles in the marketplace.
Sources with direct knowledge also told FootballScoop Wednesday that the NIL era played a direct and dramatic impact across the sport on Wednesday’s opening day of the early 2022 signing period, with NIL deals featured prominently in the recruitment of players who signed in the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and other Power 5 leagues.
Also worth noting: internationally renowned music company Beats by Dre announced Sept. 1, 2021, that it had entered into an NIL partnership with Shedeur Sanders, Coach Prime's son and the Jackson State starting quarterback.
Additionally, today legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced that he has partnered with multiple NCAA athletics, including Shedeur Sanders, in NIL agreements to coincide with the launch of Brady's clothing line next month.