Excerpts from linked article: “Charlie Batch tweeted earlier this month that a $1 million NIL deal awaits Oklahoma transfer quarterback Caleb Williams.”

”The Clark Field Collective at Texas is paying Longhorns offensive linemen $50,000 each … basically just for being Texas offensive linemen.”

“Billionaire John Ruiz is paying at least 17 Miami Hurricanes players this year a total of approximately $550,000 to promote his businesses”

“An energy bar CEO at BYU caused a stir last when year when he paid for the tuition of the program's 30-plus walk-ons.”

“To some, all of it is about 12 highway exits past the Wild, Wild West. A random message board poster recently suggested Texas A&M paid $22 million to $30 million in NIL benefits for its currently No. 1-ranked recruiting class. The first reaction from many coaches -- always thinking about competitive advantage -- wasn't the post's veracity. It was that such an arrangement was theoretically possible in the current NIL environment.”

These NIL Collectives, coupled with the transfer portal with immediate eligibility, are going to destroy college football. Recruiting will be 100% determined by where kids can earn the most money while playing in college. Playere who are 2 and 3 stars recruits out of high school who go to small and mid level football programs and then exceed expectations, will be transferring to bigger programs the first chance they get, so can earn hundreds of thousands, and possibly even millions of dollars paid by NIL Collectives. There have always been some players who transferred to bigger programs, but they always had to sit out a year and there was never a direct financial incentive to transfer. Now there is and no doubt these NIL collectives will cause a huge increase in D1 football transfers.

Even before NIL, Collectives, and immediate eligibility transfers, it was hard enough for Group of 5 and lower level Power 5 schools to recruit against the elite Power 5 programs. The elite programs had many advantages with much bigger budgets, much better facilities, more TV exposure, better NFL exposure, and the chance for players to regularly compete for P5 Conference and National Championships. But these are all intangibles and indirect benefits, that could possibly lead to future financial benefits.

With NIL Collectives, the top schools with ultra wealthy boosters and huge dedicated fan bases will be able to throw virtually unlimited wealth in direct payments to players and the promise of that wealth for prospective recruits, both high school recruits and transfers. Elite programs like Bama, Texas, UF, and Ohio State will become like the New York Yankees, with NIL Collectives that will probably be paying players 30 times as much money as Group of 5 and lower tier P5 schools. I won’t be surprised if eventually we see schools like Bama and Texas with Collectives that grow to have annual budgets of $50 or even $100 million dollars. That might be an understatement, unless the NCAA does something drastic to change the current course these collectives are taking college football

As much as I dislike what the NIL and these collectives are going to do to college football, UCF better join the party and quickly. These collectives have started a major arms race. ASAP, we need to start forming some UCF Collectives and raising some serious funds, especially with us joining the Big 12 in 2023. I really like the approach that the UF Gator Collective, discussed in this article, is taking by offering membership fees as low as $9.99 up to $999 per month. Sure its great if we have some ultra wealth boosters who want to throw some serious bank into a collective or in direct payment arrangements with some UCF football players, but there is a lot of power in small donations, if we can get a wide reach with a large number of UCF fans contributing. They say we have the most active fan base on social media. I say we leverage that to build and fund a membership collective modeled after the Gator collective.

Article: NIL College Football Collectives

Great turnout last night as the Free Block Party/Concert (alcohol sold in the street too) certainly seemed to help attract more fans to this game plus #7 Houston coming in was an attraction too.

Also...most general fans had no clue that adult beverages would be available for purchase at most concession stands either as some on this board would use that as a reason as why they never bought UCF Hoop Season Tix or even going to one game (with a ticket that they actually paid for).

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Linebacker Terrence Lewis, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021, announced his transfer commitment to UCF on Monday.

The former Miami (Fla.) Central star enrolled early at Maryland last year, but did not play this past season while recovering from ACL surgery. The knee injury was actually incurred during his senior season and not discovered until he arrived to College Park. He underwent surgery last January.

At one point during his high school recruitment, Auburn was considered the favorite but Lewis dropped the Tigers following the dismissal of Gus Malzahn. Now he gets to play for Malzahn - and defensive coordinator Travis Williams - back in his home state of Florida.

Lewis will be the second former five-star in as many years to announce a transfer to UCF. Last summer, the Knights welcomed wide receiver Jordan Johnson who left Notre Dame.

Linebacker is a big need for UCF as three of their top four players at the position are headed out. Bryson Armstrong, who was UCF's tackles leader before suffering a season-ending injury, has exhausted his eligibility, while Tatum Bethune and Eriq Gilyard are transferring out. Gilyard opted out following the fourth game and has since committed to Kansas. Bethune, who ended the season as UCF's tackles leader, hit the portal several days ago.

UCF signed 15 players in December: 14 from high school and one in the transfer portal. At that time, Malzahn said they had room to add about 10 more players with a bulk of those spots likely going to transfers.

Lewis becomes UCF's third transfer commitment, joining offensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) and defensive back Koby Perry (Austin Peay).

"I'm real excited about how recruiting is going here," Malzahn said late this past season. "We've got a real chance to finish this thing really strong. I think I've told you this before. It's going to be an unbelievable destination place for transfers. The future is bright."

Concept only.

Again. J&J vax but no booster. Had 19 a few years ago. For those who went through this recently what did you experience? #ChargeOn*

Can't find it on a USA Gucci page, but that's a $1,300 hoodie.

I love how we are recruiting 😆

SIAP:

Pac-12 is ALWAYS nervous about not being in Top 6 and even the ACC after last season may not agree to this as they want an auto bid no matter what.

Bowlsby is confident Big 12 will be a Top 6 (more likely Tope 3 or 4) each year.

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Just got over to UCF Arena for the upcoming basketball game vs. Houston, but I was able to catch up with a bunch of recruits immediately after the event, and made contacts to catch up with more guys in the coming days.

Gus Malzahn was not there. A couple recruits mentioned it, understanding the situation with his wife. One guy said they got a text from Gus. I'm not entirely sure if anybody was 100% planning to commit today, but I think if somebody was ready to do it, they'd probably want to hold off a little bit longer to make sure Gus was involved.

There will be a ton of interviews in the coming days, but two big nuggets from guys I've talked to already:

LB Troy Ford Jr. said UCF is now his No. 1 school. South Carolina is also up there, but the Knights are now on top. Really good kid, enjoyed talking with him.

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OL Roderick Kearney said right now he's mostly focused on two schools - UCF and FSU. Those are his two favorites at the moment. He's got a great relationship with Herb Hand.

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Other guys I spoke to: KJ Kirkland, Levontai "Bo" Summersett, Tray Tolliver, Bryce Harrison, Antonio Ferguson, Jalen Smith, Kaleb Cost, Sincere Edwards, D'Antre Robinson and Kaven Call.

I missed talking with the Harris twins, but hopefully can catch up with them later. Same for Goldie Lawrence.

Will hopefully catch up with more guys tomorrow.

Baltimore v KC game half time show is feeling like any UCF fan sitting on the north end zone of the bounce house

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It's Transfer Recruiting season!

We're all learning how this process will play out, thanks to the legislation passed last summer that allows players to transfer once during their playing careers and receive immediate eligibility. Transfers are being treated the same as recruits as far as being able to host them on official visits, etc. UCF hosted a few transfers in December and is expecting several more this weekend, most of whom should already be on campus.

At the close of the early signing period, Gus Malzahn said UCF had about 10 scholarship spots left and they've since added three commits (Koby Perry, Terrence Lewis, KD McDaniel) so I'm assuming that means seven spots left (give or take). UCF doesn't have to use all the spots now on spring enrollees as they could hold back some spots for late spring/summer transfers or maybe a high school player that didn't sign early.

Here's a look at the visitors expected on campus this weekend. Please keep in the Dungeon unless the players make their visits public.

Ole Miss QB John Rhys Plumlee

The speedy quarterback from Mississippi looks like the perfect fit for Gus Malzahn's offense. Plumlee made waves as a freshman in 2019, starting eight games at quarterback and becoming a viral highlight sensation for his athletic moves. Against No. 1 LSU that season, Plumlee set the Rebels' single-game quarterback rushing record with 212 yards while scoring four touchdowns.

Matt Corral started at QB the past two seasons, coinciding with Lane Kiffin's arrival in Oxford as head coach, prompting Plumlee to move to WR though he was still engaged in QB meetings.

UCF has been considered the favorite, though Missouri was said to be making a late push.

The Hattiesburg, Miss. native (Oak Grove HS) would have two seasons of eligibility remaining.


Virginia OL Ryan Swoboda

A right tackle, Swoboda started every game he played for Virginia the past two seasons (all 10 starts in 2020, 11 of 12 games started in 2021; he missed one game with a minor injury). He earned a very respectable PFF grade of 70.3 in 2021, including a high mark of 86.3 for his game against Miami.

A native of Clermont, Swoboda graduated from Windermere Prep in the 2017 class. He has one season of eligibility remaining as a "Super Senior."

He is said to have a visit to Miami next weekend.


East Tennessee State OL Tre'Mond Shorts

Shorts, whose primary spot has been left tackle, earned a spot on three FCS All-American lists following the season as well as the Southern Conference First Team. He ended his ETSU career with 40 consecutive starts. His PFF grade was 84.6 for the 2021 season, an excellent mark.

Shorts was a member of the 2017 recruiting class, graduating from Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Ga. He has one season of eligibility remaining as a "Super Senior."

Nebraska is also in the mix and he has a visit scheduled there next week.


Auburn WR Kobe Hudson

Hudson was Auburn's leading wide receiver in 2021 with 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Details for why he's leaving Auburn aren't clear, though it appears there could have been a clash with Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin given the wording of Hudson's social media posts. Hudson later clarified and said he was kicked off the team.

Though UCF is bringing in three high school wide receivers (Quan Lee, Tyler Griffin, Xavier Townsend), the Knights could use some experience in the wake of Titus Mokiao-Atimalala's recent exodus to the portal.

Recruited by Gus in the Class of 2020, Hudson attended Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga. He would have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Hudson is said to begin his visit on Saturday.


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Prior Commitments Visiting/Moving In:

Maryland LB Terrence Lewis

Lewis, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021, announced his transfer commitment to UCF on Monday.

The former Miami (Fla.) Central star enrolled early at Maryland last year, but did not play this past season while recovering from ACL surgery. The knee injury was actually incurred during his senior season and not discovered until he arrived to College Park. He underwent surgery last January.

He was a big-time get considering UCF's lack of depth at linebacker, exacerbated by Tatum Bethune's recent departure to FSU.


Austin Peay DB Koby Perry

Perry, a safety, dominated this past season at Austin Peay with 85 tackles, eight of those for a loss, one sack, two interceptions and three pass breakups. He was an FCS All-American, the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top FCS defensive player.

Perry, who is from Covington, Ga., began his career at Dodge City Community College, leading his team in tackles as a sophomore. He then signed with Troy, redshirting in 2019 but did not play. He spent the past two seasons at Austin Peay and will have one year of eligibility remaining due to the extra COVID year.


***

UCF Transfer Commitments (all expected to start classes next week):

OT Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) - 2 years left
DB Koby Perry (Austin Peay) - 1 year left
LB Terrence Lewis (Maryland) - 4 years left
LB KD McDaniel (Kentucky) - 3 years left

Grable and McDaniel visited in December.

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Terrence Lewis is posting to IG video from tonight's uniform try-on:

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Story grabs:

View attachment TLewisVisit01.mp4
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Very nice crowd last night as the Block Party (alcohol sold in the street too) certainly seemed to help attract more fans to this game plus #7 Houston coming in was an attraction too.

Also...most general fans had no clue that adult beverages would be available for purchase at most concession stands either as some on this board would use that as a reason as why they never bought UCF Hoop Season Tix or even going to one game (with a ticket that they actually paid for).

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was 30 years ago today on Jan. 28, 1986. I was in preschool and didn't see it live, but definitely remember the aftermath.

Here is the NBC live broadcast of the launch:

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And this is footage of the families watching from KSC - it's clear many didn't know what he had happened as there were cheers when the shuttle exploded and still a few smiles from some moments later. Very eerie.

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NOTE: BYU has a #34 net rating in the West Coast Conf

Here is a look at how the AAC and Big 12 look currently just before the halfway point in conf play.

The good news for UCF is that they will have a ton more Quad 1 games so a few wins in that category does move you up the charts...as even the worst team in Big 12 as of now, Kansas State, sits at #74, while UCF has dropped to #85.

More top players will want a chance to play in the #1 or #2 best basketball conf in the nation...(just based on NBA scouts at almost all conf games).

SIAP:

Pac-12 is ALWAYS nervous about not being in Top 6 and even the ACC after last season may not agree to this as they want an auto bid no matter what.

Bowlsby is confident Big 12 will be a Top 6 (more likely Tope 3 or 4) each year.

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We all knew it was most likely going to happen, but this is the first official confirmation I’ve seen.

That includes a home game added to 2024 against Nevada… that will take the place of a previously scheduled contest Aug. 31 against UCF.

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Scheduling rivals Utah, Utah State a priority as Holmoe prepares BYU for Big 12 move

@Essency

And another interesting (and off-topic) tidbit:

Most of BYU's game contracts over the past decade have included opt-out language related to the Cougars joining a Power Five conference, but not all, to cancel the game without a fee.

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All the FIWs that were questioning Gus and his staff. Beat Gators, has more high rated recruits in the house than last 10 years combined and installing his system. Y’all gonna be eating your words but will be happy to 👍. Gus haters awfully quiet the last few months. UCF football about to blow up.

Enjoying a nice Corona at halftime.

Could be the next boom according to Brian Smith

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Halftime 34-22 at Wichita. Keep it going lady Knights!

FINAL KNIGHTS 68-50