Miami Hawk Talk with Steve Baker has been moved to Thursdays at noon for the rest of the school year. I tuned in for the first part today to hear Chuck Martin.
Chuck told Bake we have the four transfers already announced in the fold, another three going through the paperwork and several more still being recruited/making campus visits.
He also said our fabulous four - Jados, Virgil, Tracy and Strader - made a cumulative total of about $2.5 million on their transfers. Virgil made about $950 k himself.
The rest of his comments were quite interesting. I recommend listening to the rebroadcast if possible.
I think we’re seeing you can still put together a decent roster like a small-market MLB team. Develop most of your roster through good scouting, spend wisely in strategic spots.
Here are two other things to think about now that the NIL collective is picking up steam:
We do have wealthy alum. If they decide to get involved, there’s an opportunity to make noise.
The collective is being run by people who care about Miami, not the athletic department. That’s probably for the best.
It helps that we are winning but I really enjoy listening to Coach Martin talk because he is so forthcoming. Sometimes I wish the Miami radio guys would quit interrupting and let him cook
But I also have to admit that I didnt love a lot of what he was saying
He doesnt sell the university as much because most of these guys wont get their degrees from Miami
He has told transfers with multiple years of eligibility that if they do well they will likely only be here one year
Everyone in the portals first question is how much money are they getting
Colorado State has an NIL fund of $2.5M vs our $80k. As a fan of the Cleveland Guardians I can tell you that is not sustainable and a very frustrating way to fan. I also wonder if we need to raise $2.5M just to remain status quo how “long term feasible” is this. I dont think we have come close to raising those funds in the past
I love Miami football and I am energized and glad we are trying to compete. I have even made a small contribution to the NIL fund (something I never thought I would do). I love that Chuck Martin is navigating these waters for us because it is really hard. But I do wonder how sustainable this is for us - the MAC and Texas Tech and all the schools really
I think Chuck is saying he is adapting to the new reality of FBS football. In reality, we aren’t getting top notch players from Georgia, Florida or Texas mostly because they are enamored by the Miami educational experience and the prospect of getting a Miami degree. They are looking for a place with a winning tradition where they can play early and launch their career with the goal of playing P4 football for big dollars by the time they are juniors.
One niche we might be able to fill is the one year of eligibility for experienced grad students looking to play another year and get a graduate degree from Miami.