College Coaches Confidential: "How has NIL changed how you recruit a player?"

In 2021, the NCAA implemented two major rule changes that shifted the college basketball recruiting process. And, even three years later, with the new transfer and NIL rules in place, many college coaches will tell you there is still so much that is unknown when it comes to roster management, which methods are sustainable, and what processes work best for the long haul.

Who are the programs targeting? How are they managing their roster? How does NIL play into the process?

A coach in the ACC said, “If the next five years are anything like the previous five years, I would say to expect some seismic changes to continue.”

Over 1,800 Division 1 players entered the transfer portal during the 2023 cycle, an NCAA-record high. Andrew Parrish, a college basketball roster analyst, tweeted earlier this week that of those 1,800-plus, roughly 1,400 were scholarship players. Of those 1,400-plus Division 1 scholarship players who entered the transfer portal this cycle, close to 150 still have not found a home.

In September, many of the top players in the 2024 high school class will take official visits. Fifty-seven of the 2024 On3 150 players have committed to schools. That leaves 62 percent of the ranked players that remain uncommitted. It will be a mad dash to the November early signing period, with numerous major visits happening each weekend. These next couple of months can be fluid, with many moving parts.

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What better way to track the changes than to speak with the coaches themselves? I reached out to college coaches across the basketball landscape and granted them anonymity as they spoke candidly about the changes they have seen with NIL in the recruiting process.

I had conversations with coaches throughout multi-bid college basketball leagues, as we discussed…

In what ways has NIL changed how you recruit a player? The process? The pitch?

Coaches talk

A Coach in the SEC: “Money talks. If you want a kid, you’re going to have to pay for him. It’s a win-now era in college basketball. You can turn a program around in one year with a roster flip. If you’re a top ten transfer portal team, and your team doesn’t perform, what does that say about you as a coach?”

A Coach in the Big East: “The ‘process’ begins (and almost ends) with the financial benefit of the school. If it was even part of the process, it was nearly last (or non-existent) pre-NIL. The money/NIL has no equivalent now in the process, and there is almost no way to overcome a substandard ‘offer.’

A Coach in the Big 12: “It requires you as a coach to have a feel and a connection to 1,000 different things. It’s also why staff sizes have increased in order to have antennas out at all times. It’s harder to keep good players but easier to get them at the same time. 

“Two years ago, a great recruiter was necessary. Now, you want a great negotiator who can get good players to come in under slot value and keep them. The best recruiter on your staff is who runs your collective. The truth that no high school family wants to acknowledge is you’re not going to win many games if your freshmen are your highest-earning dudes. Getting families to understand you can’t make a long-term decision first-year money.”

A Coach in the ACC: “Recruitment hasn’t changed much for us. Either they are all about NIL, and we move in a different direction, or they want what we’re all about, and NIL is a smaller part of that. There are a few kids and families that understand there’s a long game. Don’t get me wrong, NIL is a part of the process, but not the end all, be all.”

A Coach in the A10: “NIL has significantly changed how we recruit. If we know early on that the decision is all bout money, we may choose to move on. We have a solid collective; however, we don’t think we want to ‘outbid’ anyone. We think our program’s history and the university have a lot to offer; unfortunately, a lot of kids, agents, and advisors only care about the bottom line. I think recruiting is mostly about two things, 1) role definition and 2) NIL, “Will I play and how much will I get paid?

“I think the common thought in college is you want to get old and stay old. But I think there’s a valuable opportunity for mid-majors to get slightly better talent than before the portal era. I believe you take the guys that can help you win. They can come from a local high school or be playing 4.000 miles away if they can help you and fit your culture, you take them.”

A Coach in the SEC: “If you don’t have the funds, you can’t compete. That being said, kids and families still want to feel like you’re recruiting them; they don’t want to feel like you’re buying them.”

A Coach in the Big East: “Most schools, if not the overwhelming majority of all schools, are no longer investing in the ‘potential’ of high school prospects outside of one to two years. Scholarships for potential used to mean impacting the program two, three, and maybe even four years down the road. 

“Potential now means the year after this one. If staff cannot have the vision for serious upside, the high school prospect will certainly be left with considerably fewer options, both in the level of schools recruiting him and the sheer number of schools that value him.”

A Coach in the Big 12: “The process doesn’t really change until the NIL offer has been made. Especially if it’s a substantial offer by a non-traditional school. Once the bar has been set, then all bets are off. The easiest way to build a relationship is with a good NIL offer in place. Gold diggers exist for a reason and money talks.

“In a dream scenario, you only sign a portal kid for every high school kid you lose. Successful programs have their foundation laid by high school recruiting and retention.”

College Coaches Confidential Series

Which college programs are the best talent evaluators? | Which coach do you fear the most on the recruiting trail? | The significance of the June 15 call day | Which college coaches are best in game? | Which coach recruits the transfer portal best? | What are programs looking for in the transfer portal? | Programs sound off on conference realignment | Is it realistic for the power conferences to break away from the NCAA?