Texas A&M's deep NIL pockets should make Aggies' job appealing to top candidates

As reports surfaced in the early morning Sunday of Texas A&M parting ways with Jimbo Fisher, the shock of the head coach’s buyout started to sink in.

Seventy-Six Point Eight Million.

With eight years remaining on his 10-year contract that was signed in 2021, the $76.8 million is more than the cumulative buyout of $72 million spent last year by 15 schools to fire their coach.

But when talking about the Aggies, remember just how deep those pockets are. Texas A&M is making this move because it believes it can compete in the upper echelon of the SEC. And when the school jumps into the carousel and starts courting candidates, coaches are going to be impressed when they see what A&M can offer from an NIL perspective.

“The amount of money they are offering freshmen right now seems like they have the resources to make this a very appealing job,” a collective operator said Sunday.

What a school can offer from a name, image and likeness standpoint now matters when coaches are trying to evaluate a possible job. Specifically, what financial packages an institution’s NIL collective is able to offer and if it’s competitive with the rest of the market. NIL makes all the difference in recruiting, roster maintenance and the Transfer Portal.

“It’s almost a mindset,” former All-American, NFL first-round draft pick and current super-agent Trace Armstrong previously told On3. “If people are willing to do the things it takes to win, NIL’s going to be a factor. You just added another area that people will evaluate. Leadership, facilities, commitment to sport… It’s definitely another box to check.”

Does Texas A&M have NIL dollars to impress candidates?

Texas A&M has not been able to stay outside of the NIL spotlight since July 2021. The Aggies pieced together the best-ever recruiting class in 2022, with many pointing to NIL being the driving force. In fact, Alabama head coach Nick Saban called out Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher for “buying” every player in that class. 

There’s no question that the deep-pocketed donors are in College Station. Multiple SEC NIL collective operators told On3 on Sunday that they view A&M as a top-10 collective in terms of funding. As Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger pointed out Sunday, the school reported $54 million in giving last year.

The Aggies’ collective – “The Fund” – was thought by many to have some of the deepest pockets. Investors in The Fund told The Athletic last April they didn’t understand why boosters in other collectives feel the need to advertise their groups. Sources have confirmed The Fund is still in operation.

The Aggies have restructured their NIL operation in recent months. The 12th Man+ Fund was launched publicly in February as an extension of the 12th Man Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that has been around since the 1980s and led funding initiatives for scholarships, programs and facilities in College Station. A Texas state law this summer allowed the type of operation to exist, too. But in August, the fund announced it was discontinuing operations, avoiding scrutiny from the IRS.

“A&M has to be one of the top collectives because of their sheer buying power,” a collective operator told On3 this summer. “Not a lot of creativity. But they have unlimited cash. If it comes down to who has the deepest pockets, they’re winning.”

Will coaching search impact available dollars?

Texas A&M and its donors are about to spend upwards of $100 million. On top of paying out the rest of Fisher’s contract – which isn’t expected to be paid out in a lump sum – the schools will probably have to buy out their next coach’s contract and bring in a brand new staff.

That isn’t even accounting for what NIL packages will need to be deployed to keep some talented players in College Station. As one source indicated Sunday, to make a move this expensive the Aggies must have their top candidate picked out and confident it’s a significant upgrade.

“They’re gonna be at least $20 million in the hole next year between Jimbo’s buyout, staff buyout and then whoever they hire’s buyout,” another source told On3. “Is it realistic that they have donors lined up to drop another $8 million to put out for NIL, too?”

One NIL collective operator speculated the necessary numbers are closer to $10 million to keep together the roster and 2024 recruiting class. No matter what, the Aggies are about to go on a spending spree. Donor fatigue is very real all across the country, though. Do boosters have the motivation to continue shoveling out dollars for the next era of Texas A&M football?

“I think a new coach – if donors are excited about him – they will rally around it and figure out the money,” another collective operator said. “I would say he needs to win by Year 2 or yes, people will get tapped and you’ll have a terrible cycle going on.”