Urban Meyer Shares Concerns About Money In Recruiting: 'You've Got To Be Kidding Me'

Legendary college football coach Urban Meyer thinks money in college sports has gone too far.

Ever since NIL became the name of the game in college athletics, athletes have been able to profit off their name, image and likeness. The idea of NIL was for players to land sponsorship deals, and for some, that's what's happening. The success of Olivia Dunne is an example of that pathing paying off.

However, the situation has also just turned into NIL collectives writing massive checks in order to land players, and Meyer thinks that's a step too far.

"Right now, this school can do this and that school can do that. Most of it is dependent on the financial aspect. 'We can’t get this player because we can’t pay him enough.' When I hear that, I say, 'You’ve got to be kidding me.' That’s not what this is all about. When I hear that, and I’ll be honest with you, it makes me upset. And I don’t think it’s bad that college players make money. I think it’s great. But when I hear that, I wonder what the future of this sport is," Meyer said during a recent interview with The Athletic.

Does Urban Meyer raise a good point?

Meyer's point about money in college sports is definitely true when it comes down to the base of what he's saying.

NIL was never meant for boosters to write massive checks to guys before ever playing a snap. It was never meant to act as a payroll for college football programs.

Yet, that's exactly what it's turned into at the highest level. Look at the chaos surrounding Jaden Rashada. The former Florida commit turned Arizona State commit was handed an NIL deal worth millions before ever throwing a pass in college. Then, the deal fell apart when Florida seemingly couldn't or wouldn't pay.

Was that what NIL was supposed to be all about? Of course not. Yet, that's where we are, and there simply might not be any going back. Urban Meyer is definitely correct when it comes to the ridiculousness of the situation.

He also even pointed out he's not against athletes getting paid. Not at all, but these bidding wars for high school players was never the intention. Granted, Urban Meyer might be a little biased because Ohio State is reportedly struggling to write big checks, but that doesn't mean he's wrong.

Players getting huge compensation packages is the new normal in college sports, and there might not be anything that can be done to walk that back.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.