Zay Flowers

[AJBlack_BC]

This is some story.

Why Boston College's star receiver stayed put despite six-figure offers to transfer

Elite pass catcher Zay Flowers says he received big-time NIL offers to transfer from Boston College. He turned them down, but his situation laid bare the balancing act top players face in today's college football world.

www.espn.com

 

[BCEagle74]

This is some story.

Why Boston College's star receiver stayed put despite six-figure offers to transfer

Elite pass catcher Zay Flowers says he received big-time NIL offers to transfer from Boston College. He turned them down, but his situation laid bare the balancing act top players face in today's college football world.

www.espn.com

Ha! My oft used Parcells line:

“Don’t eat the cheese!”

Hopefully the long term decision works out and his kindhearted concern for his family was truly special!

This is where I would love to see BC use the Endowment to match or come close to help his family.

Hopefully he has insurance for his NFL career or gets a contract, and then he can pay back some and BC should pay for his policy.

Hafley knows this NIL and paying players is like I said from second one:

“You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!”

Just wait until way more big time HS recruits who may or may not need the cash get a few million like the UT QB did up front to attend or established players get poached

That Texas A&M huge $30M+ kitty and he growing can buy a lotta talent.

… and if you go to class, you might get a degree if you don’t go pro after 2 years!

… then again, if they pay you to come, they are gonna pay you to stay!

Wonder what most schools are gonna do to compete will be something to watch and some with rabid fan bases might blink either way.

College football again, is now a professional paying minor league for the NFL.

Show me the money has now replaced grades and test scores.

 

[CDB]

74, -- I love the idea of BC purchasing the policy and your suggestion that BC find some way to help his family -- imagine if they arranged something even considering fund raising and could gain all that publicity when they took care of the family!

You are truly the Prophet -- Just wish BC would listen -- at least once.

 

[micmon]

Three things.

1. Zay and his family see the bigger picture.
2. Something kept him here beyond his own self-interest. I don't know if culture is the right word, but it might be.
3. College sports needs some Federal legislation that applies to everyone that restricts NIL as a play for pay inducement as apparently done in this case. Nobody is afraid of NCAA gumshoes anymore. But nobody wants a knock on the door from the FBI.

 

[Gasson 305]

The problem with this idea is if BC were to do it (financially take care of parents) for one, they would have to do it for all.

Otherwise, it eventually leads to jealousy and disunity inside the locker room. There are other alternatives. No double dipping.

1) At the time of HS recruitment, the athlete must declare if he/she is an athletic scholarship based student-athlete foregoing NIL opportunities. Always eligible to enter transfer portal but not with NIL income.

2) Declare as a NIL based athlete who will be responsible for their own tuition, room and board, travel and entertainment expenses. Always eligible to enter transfer portal and with NIL income.

 

[CDB]

Folks, the SCOTUS has ruled that NIL is legal and that means it is here to stay. It said nothing about the transfer portal. All that is happening now is a bunch of talk -- until either the leagues or the NCAA adopts rules, this type of thing will continue. In fact, we all know that players have been getting paid under the table by certain colleges forever. The difference is that what Riley did at Pitt is now being done out in the open. Fix the portal and and have a chance to reduce the amount of tampering.

As to fairness -- it is fair that we have players driving new cars while others walk -- is it fair that only the very best BC players get deals. The isn't an issue of fairness -- if we want to retain our very best players, we have to meet the competition. If a school makes it known that its alumni will meet this kind of tampering, the tampering for players at that school will stop. Imagine Pitt fans losing their outstanding receiver that they developed in their system.

BC isn't going to get the Archie's or players like that -- so we will not have to worry about meeting NIL competition there -- But if we develop players that will be high draft picks, we need too protect ourselves or we should de-emphasize and play Nova, Georgetown, and the like.

I have already warned folks here that my NFL affiliated friend, thinks the colleges have, at most, two years to resolve this issue, or the pros will begin drafting high school kids. If they are professionals, they can work out any NIL deals they want -- 4s and 5s will only go to college if they want an education early rather than when they are in their twenties similar to young men who enter the armed services and then use the GI Bill to help pay for college.

WE cannot ask a deanship to give cars to 85 kids -- it isn't going to happen -- Why do we think the it is okay for one kid to get a car -- while it is not okay to match a large NIL deal for another kid?

 

[AGPennyPacker]

Don't rely on the NCAA to save this Sport...

They are not that capable...

They just had it very easy because this nation craves sports and ESPN (and other Networks) did an amazing job in Hyping/Marketing this Sport.

IMO, most of the Kids that go to programs like Clemson, Miami, Georgia and Alabama could care less about the studying part and are there for the NFL dream and college perks experience.

If you put too many restrictions now, you will soon have a separate league emerge and sway away all of the top talent for money.... you can basically call them "The NFL Minor League" just under the Cover of a number of "Top Programs."

The NIL was always there but it was all done secretly and it was being covered up...

Pains me to say this... But if ND is not secretly dropping bags on Top Recruits Doorsteps... then BC needs to take a class from their AD...

 

[Bigfan78]

I am depressed by the whole way the landscape of college football is changing. I don't know how it will turn out. But today I am celebrating the great character shown by Zay. There was obviously a big price to be paid for staying true to his values. Lots of people talk a great game until they are shown the money. Very few stay true to who they claim to be. Very proud to be associated with this BC guy.

 

[Gasson 305]

Well stated and I agree

 

[Lumpy1]

I am afraid this is the death knell for college football the Alabamas of the world have doing this under the table forever but now some low lines are out right bribing kids to transfer

 

[BCEagle74]

NCAA is and always was totally corrupt and featherbedded with lackeys, losers, cronies and petty assholes making huge salaries.

 

[Eagle Esquire]

Reading that story was moving. What a class act

 

[CDB]

While it is true that the NCAA has always been corrupt and that many programs have been paying kids forever, NIL has opened up a new way of paying kids -- to hide payments, universities and their boosters used payments to the athlete's family to mask the payment. They do not need to do that any longer, but in a sense, they are also unhappy because they no longer have the parents in their back pocket -- the kids is free to switch allegiances whenever the deal ends -- we are seeing kids go to one college and receive some funds and then switch to another to receive even more funds. It will be interesting -- The choice of our new AD will be very telling -- if the person has knowledge of NIL -- we can hope that BC will be competitive within its parameters -- if not, we can kiss Power 5 football and competitiveness goodbye. I am not confident in that whenever our teams begin to ascend, the AD and coaches not only have to fight our reputation and lack of fan support, the admin always seems to add additional roadblocks to success.

WE are all proud and thankful to Flowers for not taking the money and running -- but, how many kids in a 14 child family would not have taken the money? How many fathers would have advised a kid that the degree is worth more than all that money right now?

We are very very lucky he stayed -- we can use it to show the value of our degree -- but, with kids who believe they will be playing on Sunday with a minimum of a half million dollar salary -- and the all think they are that good -- that isn't going to usually work.

And if we are going to recruit against Notre Dame -- why should a kid take our degree (ranked in mid-thirties) instead of Notre Dame's degree (ranked in low twenties).

BC has some work to do both in athletics and, just as critically, academics.

If our admin is afraid of big time football and wants academic excellence -- then answer this: Why has our rating dropped 20% in the last twenty or so years??

I keep asking and all I hear is the sounds of silence.

 

[AGPennyPacker]

I don’t think that BC can realistically nor is ever going to be interested to compete with the ranks of an Alabama.

To be blunt… those schools go after and pay big $ to bring in pure athletes that would barely pass a course at BC.

BC needs to learn from an ND and while it’s true that they are academically higher right now (and probably cause they win and attract more students) it’s also very true that South Bend is not a place that I would want my kids to be at but Boston definitively is.