The “We Will” Collective

[jakemcilroy]

SCENARIO ONE - something I’m not interested in donating to/for

MBB Player A gets $50,000 from We Will Collective for speaking to Boys and Girls Club of Ames on March 1.

Player A leaves for Kansas on April 1 for $500,000.

SCENARIO TWO - something I’d be interested in donating to/for:

Player A gets $500,000 offer from Kansas business or collective on April 1st.

Iowa State matches and beats offer by 20% if player signs non-compete that they can’t sign any other NIL deals (other than We Will) through the end of their college eligibility clock (5 years to play 4 or when lose eligibility by hiring a draft agent and declaring, whichever comes first).

We Will Collective pays athlete $600,000 upon signature.

 

[Clonefan32]

All I know is I wouldn't want to be involved in this thing the first time we give a kid money and they leave, or the first time fans think their funds were allocated properly. I'd imagine there's potential there for the people doling out this money to catch an earful from donors.

 

[jakemcilroy]

The other thing I'd add is escalating payments like:

The We Will Collective will pay you $500,000 with a pay structure like this
Year 1 = $25,000
Year 2 = $50,000
Year 3 = $100,000
Year 4 = $325,000 (if you haven't signed any other NIL deals)

 

[Gunnerclone]

SCENARIO ONE - something I’m not interested in donating to/for

MBB Player A gets $50,000 from We Will Collective for speaking to Boys and Girls Club of Ames on March 1.

Player A leaves for Kansas on April 1 for $500,000.

SCENARIO TWO - something I’d be interested in donating to/for:

Player A gets $500,000 offer from Kansas business or collective on April 1st.

Iowa State matches and beats offer by 20% if player signs non-compete that they can’t sign any other NIL deals (other than We Will) through the end of their college eligibility clock (5 years to play 4 or when lose eligibility by hiring a draft agent and declaring, whichever comes first).

We Will Collective pays athlete $600,000 upon signature.

I feel like this is where we’re headed and the result is going to be lawyers taking all of the money.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

There may be more people saying “We Won’t” instead of “We Will”.

It’s like Bill Clinton getting paid one million dollars with the check made out to the Clinton Foundation for political favors when his wife was Secretary of State.

 

[ISU_Guy]

How do coaches stay out of this when recruiting or retaining? one of the first thing a 4-5 star player is going to say is how much am I going to get.

Is the coach supposed to forward those questions to the collective?
Then does a booster make the decision on how much they are going to give a player? Seems like the coach would have to be involved.

 

[Gunnerclone]

How do coaches stay out of this when recruiting or retaining? one of the first thing a 4-5 star player is going to say is how much am I going to get.

Is the coach supposed to forward those questions to the collective?
Then does a booster make the decision on how much they are going to give a player? Seems like the coach would have to be involved.

No one has thought about this stuff except the KU’s of the world that have had a system like this in place for many years.

 

[Nor'easter]

There may be more people saying “We Won’t” instead of “We Will”.

It’s like Bill Clinton getting paid one million dollars with the check made out to the Clinton Foundation for political favors when his wife was Secretary of State.

And sentiment like this is why we'll be last in the Big 12 and on the same level as schools like Creighton for NIL deals...

Not saying I don't agree but we have such low donor numbers, pretty depressing.

 

[Tpups21]

Seems like ISU will be fighting a losing battle if this collective is only aimed at retaining athletes and not bringing them in.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

And sentiment like this is why we'll be last in the Big 12 and on the same level as schools like Creighton for NIL deals...

Not saying I don't agree but we have such low donor numbers, pretty depressing.

I'm already donating to Cyclone Club, plus I buy six season tickets with seat backs. I'm pretty sure I'm doing my part. I'm just saying that this whole collective concept isn't going to be universally embraced by everyone.

 

[Cycl1]

We basically get all the costs of being an owner, with none of the return on investment. The fans are expected to pay for the stadium, pay the players, and then the school makes the money off the ticket sales, merchandise, and tv rights.

Whole thing is jacked up.

No one is telling dallas cowboys fans they are ****** if they don't donate extra money to cover Dak Prescott's salary.

 

[cyIclSoneU]

We basically get all the costs of being an owner, with none of the return on investment. The fans are expected to pay for the stadium, pay the players, and then the school makes the money off the ticket sales, merchandise, and tv rights.

The "return on investment" is wins. Fans and boosters are spending this money because they want wins. In general, the schools with fans that spend more will win more.

College sports have always been this way. A business spends money to get more money; a college football team spends money to get wins.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

And sentiment like this is why we'll be last in the Big 12 and on the same level as schools like Creighton for NIL deals...

Not saying I don't agree but we have such low donor numbers, pretty depressing.

You're greatly underestimating the gigantic wealth coming out of Creighton.

 

[wxman1]

How do coaches stay out of this when recruiting or retaining? one of the first thing a 4-5 star player is going to say is how much am I going to get.

Is the coach supposed to forward those questions to the collective?
Then does a booster make the decision on how much they are going to give a player? Seems like the coach would have to be involved.

They will be heavily involved as they already are. You just can't say "TJ called us up and said we need $500k to keep/get XYZ." This is not a new thing and has been happening long before the last month or two.

 

[CascadeClone]

They will be heavily involved as they already are. You just can't say "TJ called us up and said we need $500k to keep/get XYZ." This is not a new thing and has been happening long before the last month or two.

"Plausible deniability" is the operative phrase...

 

[drmwevr08]

They will be heavily involved as they already are. You just can't say "TJ called us up and said we need $500k to keep/get XYZ." This is not a new thing and has been happening long before the last month or two.

They have to be more vague? "Strong ass offer?'

 

[wxman1]

They have to be more vague? "Strong ass offer?'

They just have to be vague with the public/media. They are talking real numbers with the recruit.

 

[aeroclone]

How do coaches stay out of this when recruiting or retaining? one of the first thing a 4-5 star player is going to say is how much am I going to get.

Is the coach supposed to forward those questions to the collective?
Then does a booster make the decision on how much they are going to give a player? Seems like the coach would have to be involved.

They have to. These collectives seem to be in a position like a GM of a pro club. The coach and the GM need to work together closely to align on what players they need, what priorities they have, and what the budget looks like. Of course the way this is setup the coaches aren't allowed to work directly with the collectives. So much like the bag man days everyone loves to hate, there still has to be a secretive side to all this.

 

[CapnCy]

How do coaches stay out of this when recruiting or retaining? one of the first thing a 4-5 star player is going to say is how much am I going to get.

Is the coach supposed to forward those questions to the collective?
Then does a booster make the decision on how much they are going to give a player? Seems like the coach would have to be involved.

Im sure those numbers are discussed verbally at golf outings, etc (i.e. not in writing anywhere)....so the coach is never "involved"

 

[CycloneSpinning]

The more I think about this, the more I'm convinced this collective is the absolutely wrong way to go (and actually that it will fail). It's only serving to try to help people rationalize the giving of money to the players. Adding this layer of activity is just an effort to help fans feel better about doing what they otherwise would not want to do.

During this anxious phase of "we have to do something!", it's not surprising that some would get on board and be willing to buy into this, but as we get further away from the moment Tyrese sent that tweet, more people are going to think clearly and see this for what it is. It's just a bad idea. I understand if some still want to get to a place where paying players is a thing - fine. But this isn't the path. It's wasteful, inefficient, and borderline dishonest (sounds like our government actually).

These organizers are some of the best people affiliated with Iowa State, so I do honestly appreciate their efforts (even if I completely disagree with the outcome). Hopefully sooner rather than later they can receive some sound council on where to pivot to (assuming they are going to try to proceed).