Travis Hunter signing with Jackson State shows ‘power of the individual in the NIL era’

Travis Hunter’s 11th-hour flip from Florida State to Jackson State left the entire college football recruiting industry gob-smacked and provided the NIL era with its first watershed signing-day moment. 

The fantastical image of Hunter placing a Jackson State cap on his head after the nation’s top recruit had been committed to Florida State for almost two years sent shockwaves through the sport. It signals that, when monetizing one’s brand, the name on the front of one’s jersey isn’t necessarily as important as the name on the back. And it serves as a clarion call to college coaches at all levels: Get on board with NIL, or get left behind.

“Travis Hunter committing to Jackson State shows the power of the individual in the NIL era,” Blake Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Opendorse, told On3. “From his first day on campus, Hunter will be a superstar in every sense of the word. On the field, in the community and, of course, in NIL earnings. National advertisers love the big-splash story — and Travis just made one of the biggest splashes.”

Deion Sanders, the charismatic, blunt-speaking Pro Football Hall of Famer who just earned FCS coach of the year honors at Jackson State, left NFL Network in August 2020 to join Barstool Sports, where he hosts a “21st and Prime” podcast and produces video content. It would not be a stretch to envision Barstool, which has shown interest in further exploring the NIL space, ultimately pursuing a lucrative deal with Hunter at Jackson State. 

How this all transpired so quickly, so dramatically left an industry slack-jawed that isn’t often left slack-jawed. Even by recruiting standards, where the outrageous and astounding traditionally are the norms, Hunter’s flip was especially rich: A celebrated former star swooping in at the 11th hour to steal the best player in the nation from his alma mater to instead sign with a HBCU, with whispers of a potential seven-figure NIL deal framing the entire narrative. Hunter is the first five-star recruit to sign with a HBCU since websites started placing stars beside players’ names. The ramifications of it all will be unpacked and felt for some time. 

“Hunter’s decision is enormous,” Jim Cavale, founder and CEO of INFLCR, told On3. “And it is just the beginning.”

NIL benefits from being a big fish in small pond

A generation ago, Alcorn State’s Steve McNair needed to string together multiple years of success at a HBCU before one of his games was televised. Now, with ESPN-plus and a plethora of streaming services, Cavale said, national exposure is not only possible, it can be an expectation. And with a high-profile coach in Sanders, he added, “who not only has a huge social media following but is affiliated with Barstool and ultimately brings a ton of reach with his Hall of Fame background and his social media presence, it really brings all of these new opportunities at a time when NIL is prevalent for Travis to take advantage of — to go be a big fish in a small pond. Now you’ve got players starting to say, ‘Instead of going to Florida State, I’m going to play at Jackson State.’ ”

With the advent of the NIL era, where athletes now can monetize their brands above-board, the cut-throat, high-stakes recruiting wars are alive and well. And now non-Power 5 schools are equipped to be a player. We will have to wait to see what NIL deals Hunter signs. But what is immediately clear is whatever marketability Hunter possessed before, his brand is even stronger now. More people know the name “Travis Hunter” today than two days ago. 

“Now the stage is set for him to not only still catapult himself to the next level, and do it at a smaller HBCU school, but really do it in a way where the spotlight will be on him every step of the way,” Cavale said. “And if he takes advantage of it, from an NIL standpoint he’s probably going to expedite his ability to really do something individually with this brand and make money faster than he would have if he went to Florida State, where there’s a lot of high-profile recruits.”

To argue that NIL has leveled the playing field in recruiting is an overstatement, underselling the value of glitzy facilities found on campuses of the bluest of blue bloods, the prestige of playing for acclaimed coaches and the most accessible pathways to the NFL. But in particular cases like this one, with his clout and seemingly boundless NIL avenues, Sanders can recruit any player that the other coach from the Aflac commercial can. Sanders proved it Wednesday.

More than merely landing an attention-grabbing commitment, Sanders is disrupting the sport’s status quo. Jacksonville-based attorney Malik S. Jackson, who counsels clients on NIL matters, told On3 that when the nation’s top recruit signs with Jackson State, “it moves the needle in a big way” and could be a “watershed moment” because it speaks to the SWAC having enough cachet to pull top recruits from Power 5 schools.

“In the first signing period after NIL, players and advisors are choosing the history of institutions defined by the likes of James ‘Shack’ Harris, Doug Williams, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton and, now, Coach Prime,” Jackson said. “Ultimately, Coach Prime touched a nerve with his statements on player names on the back of jerseys, NIL pay and other student-athlete rights.”

Sanders and other like-minded coaches and player advocates, Jackson said, undoubtedly will “segue the NIL discussion into a larger discussion on student-athlete rights, wellness and opportunities.”

‘The recruiting game has changed’

While securing Hunter is a one-of-one recruiting feat, the coup does feature shades of what Penny Hardaway has accomplished on the recruiting trail at Memphis: Former pro star lures top talent (Jalen Duren, Emoni Bates) to a non-Power 5 school amid rumors of lucrative NIL deals with Memphis-based FedEx and other companies.

Generally speaking, it makes total sense for relatively young, former pros like Hardaway and Sanders to be among the most forward-thinking minds in the coaching industry. Much like it does for Lincoln Riley to position prospects to tap into the vast NIL-rich entertainment ecosystem of Los Angeles. Or for deep-pocketed boosters in the tech and financial spaces in Texas to pool funds for NIL programs. Coaches and alums are wise to leverage what they can leverage for any smidgeon of a recruiting advantage.

“Whether there is an NIL deal here or not [related to Jackson State and Hunter], this moment in time underscores one thing: The recruiting game has changed,” Casey Schwab, CEO of Altius Sports Partners, told On3. “Coaches and ADs need to be more creative than ever within the new framework of rules. And it’s only going to become more complicated as athlete rights evolve. It is time to ask yourself as a coach or AD: ‘Are we doing everything we can to maximize what we do — both now and for what is coming next?’ ”

In what was the first football signing day of the NIL era, a flabbergasting development was bound to unfold. This certainly qualifies. There were no signs of this percolating. This past summer, Hunter addressed NIL potential broadly by saying on the “All Things Covered” podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden, “If it’s fast money, it doesn’t always mean it’s good money.” (That’s former Florida State cornerback Bryant McFadden, by the way.)

But if Florida State coach Mike Norvell lost Hunter because Hunter could find “good money” by playing for Jackson State and not for the Seminoles, then shame on Norvell, who reached a contract extension just a day before his prized recruit reneged. Prominent sources throughout the NIL space have long said it is now critical for a coach not merely to understand NIL but also to fully embrace it. In fact, former NBA player Jerome Williams told On3 that coaches must explicitly use it as a carrot in recruiting.

“You can sit down with the head coach, he can say how much you’re going to make by coming to X University. Period. Period,” said Williams, who founded Alumni Pros Global Sports in part to educate young athletes on NIL. “They [coaches] will figure out where their budget is, where it’s coming from, and what type of NIL deal might be wrapped up around that, whether it’s an autograph session or going to visit some kids at a camp, whatever it is. … You’re sitting down with the student-athlete, and you’re saying, ‘Here’s the package. What do you want to do?’ ”

NIL means athletes have entered the marketplace

The NCAA does not have many rules pertaining to NIL, but it does prohibit coaches from using it to induce prospects to sign with their schools. But what’s the NCAA’s appetite for investigating these cases? Proving intent is especially daunting. 

Precisely how much NIL opportunities can be used in recruiting leads to a slippery slope. For a master class in how it can be used deftly, look no further than the best coach of the modern era, Nick Saban. In July, Saban just happened to tell the Texas High School Coaches Association convention that quarterback Bryce Young was approaching “ungodly numbers” and already making nearly seven figures before he even started a game. That was no accident. And it planted in the minds of top high school players in the Lone Star State and beyond what they potentially could garner if they suited up for the Crimson Tide.

It is a new day in recruiting. Athletes have entered the marketplace. As Williams said, “Guess what, colleges and universities? Your [NIL] package better be tight.”

Whether it included a wink-wink seven-figure NIL promise or not, Sanders’ closing pitch to Hunter must have indeed been tight. This was a recruiting coup for the ages. And in the fast-evolving NIL era, it marks the dawning of a new age — the power of the individual.