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Today’s Case

REPORT: Top Colorado commit received 7-Figure NIL offer from Tennessee

NIL bags: There’s levels to it.

Reports are surfacing that incoming college freshman Jordan Seaton ‘reportedly turned down a "multi-million" dollar offer from Tennessee before heading to Colorado.’

As for how much?

WBIR TV in Knoxville also reported last week that the IMG Academy's offensive lineman turned down a significant offer with a "seven-figure" price tag.

Colorado just announced a Deion Sanders-inspired NIL course (not taught by Coach Prime), and Sanders also mentioned the resources they have on the NIL front are getting better, although it might take time to have the same as top schools such as Ohio State and Alabama.

Seaton committed to Colorado despite interest from plenty of other big programs, including Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee and others.

The Verdict

• Is this the norm?

  • For Power 5 football and men’s basketball, these numbers seem to be commonplace; however, we can’t be fully sure without sources.

    • Speaking of, here is a breakdown of quarterback Jaden Rashada’s NIL offer with Gator Collective to play at Florida, which ultimately was not fulfilled and Rashada transferred to Arizona State.

  • Not every P5 athlete will receive this level of money - and while getting a large sum of money is great, it doesn’t guarantee playing time at said school.

• What was Colorado’s offer?

  • If Tennessee reportedly offered Seaton seven figures, then how much did Colorado promise/commit to him?

    • Regardless of the number, perhaps Seaton wanted to play for Coach Prime and help shore up the Buffaloes offensive line. (Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the most-sacked quarterback in college football last season.)

  • If the money was equivalent, then I have a hard time believing Colorado will offer anything significantly different from other Power 5 programs (especially with other schools having more NIL resources at their disposal.)

• Student-athletes should inquire about NIL funding with schools and collectives

  • Especially for high school recruits, asking schools about NIL resources and education is important and will help these athletes gain a better understanding of what is and isn’t allowed.

  • For current college athletes, asking Collectives about viable opportunities to represent the organization. (As note: not every Collective will have funding to pay for every athlete, as some focus more on community service and personal/brand development.)

Student-athletes: Plan your 2024 NIL goals now!

Use these last two weeks of 2023 to finalize your NIL approach for the upcoming year. Watch this video for more!

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