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[TomCat88]

In terms of NIL monies. If donors and/or The Collective are going to start matching some of these offers. How are people or how would people verify the offers these guys are getting. Let’s use Humphrey for an example. Let’s say he comes to the Collective and says, UNC is offering me $300,000, a car, and a place to live. How do you verify that. And are those things happening. Or does it not matter?

I think you pay by performance. If a player doesn’t accept, you can either use that money on an incoming player or existing players.

First thing first though. The fund needs to have 7-10 million dollars in it.

[onceacat]

Money is nearly all of this and to pretend otherwise is absurd.

If it were really all about money then I could give you a long list of players who wouldn't have stayed at MSU for their entire careers.

And plenty of transfers out who didn't get meaningful money.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

[TomCat88]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

MSU Needs better rope to tie the meat down to the hood of the car with.

[91catAlum]

The ironic thing to me about the current state of college football is that the only groups that are supposed to shut up and accept whatever happens are the very fan bases that make football lucrative and special in the first place.

Most of these kids are clearly just leaving for money. As I've said time and again, that's their prerogative. But in regards to their football allegiance/commitment, it literally makes them mercenaries. Maybe some people have said things that are hateful, but it isn't hateful to simply be frank about what's happening.

100% correct.

[D-Wreck]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

MSU Needs better rope to tie the meat down to the hood of the car with.

Tom, it's 2025. We use ratchet straps now.

[Lord Vigo]

Money is nearly all of this and to pretend otherwise is absurd.

If it were really all about money then I could give you a long list of players who wouldn't have stayed at MSU for their entire careers.

What I'm saying is that players leaving for bigger programs is almost entirely about money. Obviously for those who choose to stay it's about more than that.

[91catAlum]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

1 guy? OK, you're probably right. Got any others?

PS - FBS dropdowns looking for more playing time don't count. Lets hear the list of good players from lesser teams that MSU "poached", similar to what the FBS is doing to MSU currently.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

1 guy? OK, you're probably right. Got any others?

PS - FBS dropdowns looking for more playing time don't count. Lets hear the list of good players from lesser teams that MSU "poached", similar to what the FBS is doing to MSU currently.

There aren't very many, I wasn't trying to insinuate there are. But it definitely has happened. Treyton Pickering is somewhat similar in that the coaches convinced him to break his commitment to Tech (I think, foggy memory) after he had already signed there.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Money is nearly all of this and to pretend otherwise is absurd.

If it were really all about money then I could give you a long list of players who wouldn't have stayed at MSU for their entire careers.

What I'm saying is that players leaving for bigger programs is almost entirely about money. Obviously for those who choose to stay it's about more than that.

I think we forget that for the majority of the players, certainly all of the OOS players, they didn't grow up hoping and dreaming they'd get to play for MSU. The opportunity to play for an ACC, SEC, whatever big conference school is lifelong bragging rights, it's the opportunity to play at the highest level they can and prove they can do so, and get paid while doing so. That's hard to pass up for a competitor. And honestly, for those that are getting 6 figures (which I don't think is as common as is reported) it's almost fiscally irresponsible to turn that down. That's legitimately life changing money at that age.

If we're going to call them mercenaries, are they not mercenaries for coming here? They chose MSU because it was their best option, not necessarily because it was their favorite place. And they all know, and we all know, that if they don't perform, if they don't play as well as expected, they get cut. No more scholarship, no more school, you gotta leave. Players get pushed out or told to leave all of the time. I think the school, and thus fans, would have more of a moral high ground to stand on if the school were offering a 4-5 year scholarship, but they aren't. It's a 1 year at a time deal, and if they don't perform, they're gone. It's not a surprise players are willing to leave. It's a business on both sides.

[GoldstoneCat]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

1 guy? OK, you're probably right. Got any others?

PS - FBS dropdowns looking for more playing time don't count. Lets hear the list of good players from lesser teams that MSU "poached", similar to what the FBS is doing to MSU currently.

There aren't very many, I wasn't trying to insinuate there are. But it definitely has happened. Treyton Pickering is somewhat similar in that the coaches convinced him to break his commitment to Tech (I think, foggy memory) after he had already signed there.

I'll just bet there will be more FCS-to-FCS transfers in this class, guys looking for a better opportunity. But that will be OK again because they'll be our mercenaries, then.

[91catAlum]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

1 guy? OK, you're probably right. Got any others?

PS - FBS dropdowns looking for more playing time don't count. Lets hear the list of good players from lesser teams that MSU "poached", similar to what the FBS is doing to MSU currently.

There aren't very many, I wasn't trying to insinuate there are. But it definitely has happened. Treyton Pickering is somewhat similar in that the coaches convinced him to break his commitment to Tech (I think, foggy memory) after he had already signed there.

I'll just bet there will be more FCS-to-FCS transfers in this class, guys looking for a better opportunity. But that will be OK again because they'll be our mercenaries, then.

Mercenary by definition is somebody that does something strictly for money. Players who come to Montana State aren't doing it for the money, as there isn't any outside of tuition/room/board. As far as I know, MSU doesn't even pay FCOA yet.

So no, we aren't bringing in "mercenaries" here. We aren't luring away players from other schools with the promise of a pile of NIL cash.

When a player leaves MSU (or wherever) for a pile of cash, that is what a "mercenary" is.

[technoCat]

In terms of NIL monies. If donors and/or The Collective are going to start matching some of these offers. How are people or how would people verify the offers these guys are getting. Let’s use Humphrey for an example. Let’s say he comes to the Collective and says, UNC is offering me $300,000, a car, and a place to live. How do you verify that. And are those things happening. Or does it not matter?

I think you pay by performance. If a player doesn’t accept, you can either use that money on an incoming player or existing players.

First thing first though. The fund needs to have 7-10 million dollars in it.

So unless we can get an oil tycoon or real-estate mogul to fund us each year, we're screwed? Way to put a damper on my incredible week...

[nanacat]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

Did we "poach" Rohan Jones, or did we pick him up after he already entered the portal? I think that is different. If it is true that Scottre, Rohan, and Cole were contacted by other schools prior to entering the portal, that is "poaching" vs. taking a player who had already put themselves in the portal. My opinion.

[SparkCat]

The more I have reflected on this while catering all night to a sick kido, I feel crappy for some the tongue in cheek comments I have made on this subject. I would be fairly livid if someone was talking this way about one of my daughters. I think dudes transferring multiple times is ridiculous, and a limit would be nice, unless there is an exigent circumstance. This last year, despite being the best had since 1984, was exhausting. Exhausting with injuries, many from out of state players we care about, exhausting from hearing how SOS helped them so much this year and honestly, exhausting with some of the media hype. At the end of the day, there has not been one player that left an actual stain on our program, in fact many have been involved with the public, youth camps, and being exceptional students. Many of us, myself included, will cheer for the team and maybe have a few players we are excited about, but unless they were to literally directly and negatively impact myself, our community and our favorite college, they then should be able to move on. At the end of the day, we all are just wanting reassurance that going forward, the team will still be great. Unfortunately, no one can say for sure, although I do think this 2025 team will end up impressing us, and I have a guy feeling they will have a chippiness we have not seen for awhile.

[Lord Vigo]

Money is nearly all of this and to pretend otherwise is absurd.

If it were really all about money then I could give you a long list of players who wouldn't have stayed at MSU for their entire careers.

What I'm saying is that players leaving for bigger programs is almost entirely about money. Obviously for those who choose to stay it's about more than that.

I think we forget that for the majority of the players, certainly all of the OOS players, they didn't grow up hoping and dreaming they'd get to play for MSU. The opportunity to play for an ACC, SEC, whatever big conference school is lifelong bragging rights, it's the opportunity to play at the highest level they can and prove they can do so, and get paid while doing so. That's hard to pass up for a competitor. And honestly, for those that are getting 6 figures (which I don't think is as common as is reported) it's almost fiscally irresponsible to turn that down. That's legitimately life changing money at that age.

If we're going to call them mercenaries, are they not mercenaries for coming here? They chose MSU because it was their best option, not necessarily because it was their favorite place. And they all know, and we all know, that if they don't perform, if they don't play as well as expected, they get cut. No more scholarship, no more school, you gotta leave. Players get pushed out or told to leave all of the time. I think the school, and thus fans, would have more of a moral high ground to stand on if the school were offering a 4-5 year scholarship, but they aren't. It's a 1 year at a time deal, and if they don't perform, they're gone. It's not a surprise players are willing to leave. It's a business on both sides.

What used to be special about college athletics vs. professional athletics is that it wasn't as much of a business, especially at this level.

But yeah, this is all fair. It's a little bit of a red herring to point out that players can get cut or lose their scholarship. The reality is that there's virtually zero chance of that happening for these guys moving up.

I think it's telling that the bulk of the players who left didn't start at MSU. They transferred in from elsewhere and now they're gone again. So yeah, I think most of them are mercenary for coming here unless it's from JUCO, which is clearly intended to be a stepping stone. And that's why I think those players have proven to be more likely to leave here for somewhere else, because the priority is the money, not the program or teammates.

It seems like the major issue in this thread at the moment is that some people don't like if that reality gets pointed out. We're supposed to watch them leave for the money but happy talk it like it's something else because it sounds bad to say they just want the cash.

[RootinfortheCats]

There are plenty of players that come to MSU knowing it can be a stepping stone to the big time in CFB.

I’m in the camp that we should just fully embrace it. We have the enviable position of great Montana born players turning down big offers to stay at MSU. This is the core of the team. Prioritize those HS recruits.

Then fill in the remaining pieces and depth with talented transfers looking to move up. They are highly motivated to perform. Our staff should support them on that journey, even. Be transparent. Be honest on both sides. Use the terrible portal system to our greatest advantage until something new and better comes along.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I feel like I've gone through all of the stages of grief on this....hahaha.

I think I've finally come to part where I can accept the new reality. If we are a great team with great players, the players and coaches are going to leave for bigger (not necessarily better) opportunities. That's just the new reality of it all.

I guess it is the new reality. I don't see a lot of players being poached from losing programs, so I guess this is a good thing, even if it feels bad.

Did we not "poach" Rohan Jones from a losing Maine team?

Of course, nobody here thought it was poaching. It was just him wanting to play for a better program. Funny how that works.

Did we "poach" Rohan Jones, or did we pick him up after he already entered the portal? I think that is different. If it is true that Scottre, Rohan, and Cole were contacted by other schools prior to entering the portal, that is "poaching" vs. taking a player who had already put themselves in the portal. My opinion.

We have no way of knowing if anybody contacted Rohan before he entered or not. He clearly knew there was a market for him if he entered.

[TomCat88]

In terms of NIL monies. If donors and/or The Collective are going to start matching some of these offers. How are people or how would people verify the offers these guys are getting. Let’s use Humphrey for an example. Let’s say he comes to the Collective and says, UNC is offering me $300,000, a car, and a place to live. How do you verify that. And are those things happening. Or does it not matter?

I think you pay by performance. If a player doesn’t accept, you can either use that money on an incoming player or existing players.

First thing first though. The fund needs to have 7-10 million dollars in it.

So unless we can get an oil tycoon or real-estate mogul to fund us each year, we're screwed? Way to put a damper on my incredible week...

I’m just spitballing.
I don’t think it’s asking much to have a fund that you keep that a big chunk of money in. I don’t know if you need to pay out that much. There are a lot of billionaires out there.

I’m also trying to influence the conversation into more of a problem solving one. Get away from all the doomsday stuff.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Money is nearly all of this and to pretend otherwise is absurd.

If it were really all about money then I could give you a long list of players who wouldn't have stayed at MSU for their entire careers.

What I'm saying is that players leaving for bigger programs is almost entirely about money. Obviously for those who choose to stay it's about more than that.

I think we forget that for the majority of the players, certainly all of the OOS players, they didn't grow up hoping and dreaming they'd get to play for MSU. The opportunity to play for an ACC, SEC, whatever big conference school is lifelong bragging rights, it's the opportunity to play at the highest level they can and prove they can do so, and get paid while doing so. That's hard to pass up for a competitor. And honestly, for those that are getting 6 figures (which I don't think is as common as is reported) it's almost fiscally irresponsible to turn that down. That's legitimately life changing money at that age.

If we're going to call them mercenaries, are they not mercenaries for coming here? They chose MSU because it was their best option, not necessarily because it was their favorite place. And they all know, and we all know, that if they don't perform, if they don't play as well as expected, they get cut. No more scholarship, no more school, you gotta leave. Players get pushed out or told to leave all of the time. I think the school, and thus fans, would have more of a moral high ground to stand on if the school were offering a 4-5 year scholarship, but they aren't. It's a 1 year at a time deal, and if they don't perform, they're gone. It's not a surprise players are willing to leave. It's a business on both sides.

What used to be special about college athletics vs. professional athletics is that it wasn't as much of a business, especially at this level.

But yeah, this is all fair. It's a little bit of a red herring to point out that players can get cut or lose their scholarship. The reality is that there's virtually zero chance of that happening for these guys moving up.

I think it's telling that the bulk of the players who left didn't start at MSU. They transferred in from elsewhere and now they're gone again. So yeah, I think most of them are mercenary for coming here unless it's from JUCO, which is clearly intended to be a stepping stone. And that's why I think those players have proven to be more likely to leave here for somewhere else, because the priority is the money, not the program or teammates.

It seems like the major issue in this thread at the moment is that some people don't like if that reality gets pointed out. We're supposed to watch them leave for the money but happy talk it like it's something else because it sounds bad to say they just want the cash.

I don't disagree.

I don't like what college sports are becoming, and I wish the NCAA had been more forward thinking because they knew this was coming and just chose to ignore it/hope they could legislate it away. I could go on, and on, about how I think they should do things but tbh, that's a different conversation and fairly irrelevant. Nobody with any power cares what ol BB thinks.

I can't remember if I've said this before, but while I can rationalize why players leave, and even philosophically agree with them for leaving if I take all my emotion out of it, at the end of the day, I'm not cheering for those players or anybody who leaves MSU. And to take it a step further, it's not even that I'm not cheering for them, I straight up hope they get to ride the bench and find out that the place they left is actually pretty great. I want them to regret it. Am I petty? Absolutely! 100%! So while I can understand, and even rationalize it, I still hate it and hope they all fail. You're either a Bobcat or you're not, and I don't cheer for anybody who's not a Bobcat.

And MSU will still be a top 5-10 team depending on QB, and I'm pretty sure they'll be top 5. Lot of talent left.