NIL Impact

[Geoswaff]

We seem to be witnessing the consolidation of elite talent to fewer schools and I assume it’s mostly due to NIL. Do you all think that other schools will step up to try to match the investment or will see more divestiture of wrestling in D1 programs as a result?

[Jon Perkins]

No, the Universities themselves will not step up and try to match some of the other programs with unlimited NIL money. That is the reason for the huge gap between the top programs and the teams on the outside looking in. I do think that the wrestling programs are doing all they can do to try and keep up with the NIL money but when you have a few teams with Billionaire donors, mid-level teams like WVU cannot keep pace with the likes of Iowa, Penn State, and now Oklahoma State. I do believe with each team only having a 30-man roster will help spread the talent a little more. Each team will not be able to hoard as many top-level backups and they will have to go elsewhere.

[Geoswaff]

Probably a pipe dream, but it would be interesting to see NIL required to be tied to tenure. Ie total NIl capped and then paid out 10% first year 20% 2nd year and 30% 3rd year and 40% 4th year with the same program with required performance incentives of a % of the NIl contract value paid at different levels based on AA placement at tournament.

[Jon Perkins]

I'm not sure about putting a cap on the NIL will work, there are always people out there to find loopholes. However, I am a big fan of transparency. I would like to see all donors be made public by the programs and each athlete that is on an NIL deal should make public what that deal is. I don't know if it would tame things down in the NIL world, but at least everyone would know what the truth was.