HEADLINE

NIL cash flow climbs to $1M for Alabama QB Bryce Young

Field Level Media

July 29, 2021 at 3:41 pm.

Not yet a starting quarterback, the NIL era already is Bryce as nice at Alabama.

Sophomore Bryce Young has an offer for a $1 million agreement, head coach Nick Saban said of the presumed Crimson Tide heir to Mac Jones, and he’s already holding a series of deals worth a combined $800,000, ESPN reported.

Young has only disclosed one such agreement — with CashApp — though the total value he can receive for using his name, image and likeness was not made public.

ESPN reported Thursday that Young is weighing other offers — yes, more than one — that would be worth more than $1 million apiece.

The NIL ruling in July that opened the college football amateur landscape to such financial agreements has caused an immeasurable ripple effect. On Wednesday, the top college football prospect in the country, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, said he was likely to skip his senior year of high school and early enroll at Ohio State to capitalize on potential for nearly $1 million in NIL deals as a 17-year-old.

Young attempted only 22 passes last season as Jones put up a record-setting year for the undefeated Crimson Tide. But Saban said at SEC media days that the NIL policy has opened new doors for top college players.

“Our QB has already approached ungodly numbers, and he hasn’t even played yet,” Saban said, adding he knew Young to be at seven figures without a single local or regional deal as of yet.

To be sure, NIL potential is a new recruiting tool and coaches will use it to their advantage. That message isn’t sitting well with some of Saban’s peers.

Stanford head coach David Shaw said the dollar figures being discussed are not a reflection of an athlete’s profit potential, but a clear statement of “Alabama value.”

“My gut reaction is on multiple levels,” Shaw said at Pac-12 media days. “First of all, Nick Saban is smarter than any 10 of us in this room combined. There’s no way that was a throw-in. It’s obvious to me that Nick wanted to plant that and make sure people knew that. It’s a great way to recruit people to come to you, which the guy hasn’t started a college football game and he’s already signed a whole bunch of deals to make money. … Nick mentioning that at the media day is a great way to kick-start your recruiting, especially if you’re recruiting another high-caliber quarterback, as we all know that they are.”