Roll damn Tide, y’all! If you ever wanted an indicator of just what that Alabama Crimson Tide brand is worth, we’ve got a good one today. At SEC Media Days this week, head coach Nick Saban revealed that quarterback Bryce Young was starting to inch up towards earning one million United States doll hairs in endorsement deals now that the whole NIL rules are in effect. That’s right – the dude hasn’t even officially been named the starting quarterback, and yet, he is just racking up that dough in endorsement deals. I mean, we all know that Young is going to end up as the starting quarterback for Alabama. It’s inevitable – the dude is supposedly the second coming of Lamar Jackson. Nonetheless, it’s a testament to just how powerful being the (perceived) franchise quarterback at Alabama is.
While Saban wouldn’t divulge the specifics of the deals Young has signed, Saban said the total compensation is “almost seven figures.”
“And it’s like, the guy hasn’t even played yet,” Saban said, according to The Athletic. “But that’s because of our brand.”
That’s just insane to me. I knew the floodgates would open when it became kosher for student athletes to get paid, but honestly, not like this. It’s like Olivia Dunne, the LSU gymnast who has over 1.5M followers each on Instagram and Tik Tok. She’s set to become a millionaire and it’s not like gymnastics gets the eyeballs that college football gets. You don’t have to be proven, or even good, as long as you have a ton of followers on social media. It’s the golden rule of being an influencer. Young currently has 17.9K Twitter followers, and 84.4K on Instagram. I couldn’t find a Tik Tok, so I don’t know if he’s on there yet or not, but these are just some wild numbers.
And, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying this as a bitter old dude. I think this is the way it should’ve been all along. These universities, leagues, and networks are making TONS of money off of the blood, sweat, and tears of these college athletes, only for the NCAA to tell them they can’t get their fair share of that. It was bullshit. So, I say bring on the money – every college kid should get what they can out of all this NIL stuff, because as we’ve seen with many a professional athlete, these stars burn brightly, but they don’t always burn for long. Anyone that has the opportunity to set themselves up for life should be able to capitalize on it. Good for Olivia Dunne. Good for Bryce Young. Roll damn Tide again.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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