Tennessee HC Josh Heupel just turned the NCAA investigation into a big recruiting positive for the Vols
When news first broke that the NCAA is investigating the Tennessee Vols over the program's handling of NIL deals, the feeling among some fans — UT fans and opposing fans — was that the Volunteers would once again have to deal with negative recruiting from rivals. Anytime a program is going through an NCAA investigation, […]
When news first broke that the NCAA is investigating the Tennessee Vols over the program's handling of NIL deals, the feeling among some fans — UT fans and opposing fans — was that the Volunteers would once again have to deal with negative recruiting from rivals.
Anytime a program is going through an NCAA investigation, even when it seems frivolous (which is almost always the case), it can be used by rival programs as a way to dissuade players from committing to that program. It was something Tennessee dealt with during the Jeremy Pruitt/UT investigation that finally wrapped up this past summer.
But while it seemed like Tennessee might deal with some negative recruiting when this story first broke, it doesn't appear that will be the case.
That's due in part to the fact that the general public seems to be rooting for the demise of the NCAA, something this investigation and subsequent lawsuit (the state of Tennessee vs the NCAA) has the potential to expedite.
It's also because Vols head coach Josh Heupel turned the investigation into a huge recruiting positive last week with the words he wrote on Friday in a declaration supporting the preliminary injunction that seeks to stop the NCAA from enforcing NIL recruiting rules.
In an era where a large number of college football coaches spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about NIL deals, Heupel made it clear that he 100 percent supports players' abilities to earn income from NIL deals (especially early in their college careers).
“Because of the risk of injuries in college sports, an early NIL deal could be the best or only NIL deal they might ever secure,” noted Heupel in the declaration that was filed on Friday. “The current NIL environment is complicated for everyone involved: current student athletes, prospective student athletes, coaches, schools, collectives and fans. NCAA rules are vague and confusing. They frequently change and they sometimes conflict with NCAA’s prior guidance."
“Because of the NIL recruiting ban, the information recruits have about NIL opportunities associated with a given school is incomplete and not always reliable," continued Heupel. "Athletes want to know about and understand their opportunities, but like my fellow coaches at UT I feel I have to avoid discussing NIL opportunities in any way, even at a high level, or assisting athletes in navigating this complicated environment. Because we’re unable to help recruits navigate these issues, they don’t have the full picture of all the opportunities that are available to them, which can cause them to make poor decisions. Recruits often don’t know, like we do, the reputation and trustworthiness of who they are working with; without that information, they can pick a school that isn’t the best fit for them based on false promises of NIL that never come to fruition.”
NIL isn't going away. And thanks to Heupel's strong support for student-athletes and recruits when it comes to NIL deals, players know they're going to get taken care of at Tennessee. Heupel's NIL comments in the declaration are the strongest support of NIL deals that we've seen from an active college head coach.
Ultimately, the game is still about competing on the field for 60 minutes. It's about competing in practices, the weight room, etc. But NIL, like it or not, is also part of the sport. And Heupel made it clear last week with his words that not only is he a supporter of NIL deals, but he wants to be an ally to recruits/players when it comes to navigating what can be a difficult world.
Despite the NCAA investigation, which is unlikely to succeed, this "road block" for the Vols suddenly looks like something that can be a huge positive for the program.
