In this modern era of College Football, you are more likely to hear about how much a player is making to go to school rather than why they chose that school. NIL and the Transfer Portal brought pay for play into the sport even if it never intended to as collectives shelled out millions to attract recruits and transfers to their program. As revenue sharing is introduced into college sports, the programs themselves can now pay their own players bringing an entire new element into this muddied picture.
The Big 12 Conference may have the most stark difference in approach to money between it's programs. On one hand, you have Texas Tech who just landed 5-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo and a loaded transfer class using it's funding and they couldn't be prouder. Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell revealed what is going on at other schools that don't have as deep of pockets.
Matt Campbell reveals shocking pay cuts by Iowa State stars
On Tuesday, while speaking at Big 12 Media Days, Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell revealed that his top 20 players took pay cuts this offseason in order to keep this group together.
"I'd say probably our top 20 guys took a pay cut to come back to Iowa State. A lot of those guys had some really good opportunities."Matt Campbell
In this era where all you hear about is players taking the biggest NIL deal or transferring in order to make the most money, this news is shocking to hear. The Cyclones choosing to stick together and take a pay cut to better the team is truly incredible to hear and shows what College Football is all about. Coming off of an 11-3 season with a 7-2 record in Big 12 play, the Cyclones will have a great chance to play for the Big 12 Championship and a shot at the College Football Playoff with this continuity.
On the other hand, Matt Campbell revealing this about his players is awesome but, may damage the Cyclones on the recruiting trail. As players get offered massive deals elsewhere, a program where the players are taking less money may not be the most attractive.