but where is it for kickers and punters? THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION... (I'm working on the answer — see below) 🏈 _ _ _ KNOW THIS — from On3.com: Five years into the NIL era, June's sprint to host official visits and lock down commitments turned into a rather expensive month of the recruiting trail for Power Four programs. With the dawn of revenue sharing a year ago, more programs than ever before have dollars to funnel to top recruits. General managers across the Power Four told On3 the price to land talent has never been greater. "It feels like $350,000 was the starting price for a low four-star this year," an SEC general manager said. "We've reached the period where everyone has an agent. "There are no layups anymore in high school recruiting. Nothing is even reasonably priced." While the overall price for a five-star recruit has held fairly steady, the price for four-star recruits has climbed significantly. As one source told On3, "the kid we might value at $400,000 is now getting offers to be the $750,000 recruit in another school's recruiting class." _ _ _ THE ANSWER IS... it's a moving target. Here's what's generally known (I am working on specifics and would love to hear anything from our tribe in K-Skool if you have info you can share with us)... For a starting kicker at a Power 4 (P4) Division I school, typical monetary deals range from $10,000 to $75,000 per year in NIL compensation. The specific value of a deal for a kicker varies based on several core factors: - The Market Rate: Industry specialists and media outlets estimate the standard specialist (Kicker/Punter) market value is roughly $60,000. - Exceptional Value: Exceptional kickers can break the baseline range. For example, when All-American kicker Dominic Zvada transferred, he netted a deal worth at least $500,000. - At a P4 school, you're liklier to get a full scholarship now. The newly enacted NCAA revenue-sharing rules and the shift from scholarship limits to strict roster caps are eliminating the traditional walk-on specialist. College football rosters were limited to 85 scholarships, but teams could carry up to 120+ players total. This allowed coaches to hoard "walk-on" kickers, punters, and long snappers who paid their own tuition. Under the new model born from the House v. NCAA settlement, everything has changed.

This looks like it will become the rule (but is NOT yet). _ _ _ TLTR: • 5 years to play 4 starting at age 19 or date of college enrollment. • No more 25 year olds playing for 7 years. The NCAA Division I Board moved forward with age-based eligibility on Friday, changing the clock to start when the athlete turns 19 or enrolls in college, sources told On3. The formal vote is not set until the end of June, when it is widely expected to pass. The adjustment follows recommendations from stakeholders in hockey, college basketball and service academies. The Cabinet plans to consider the age-based eligibility model at its June 23-24 meeting. The previous age-based eligibility proposal would start the clock at high school graduation. The Cabinet also reiterated that for current athletes, any waivers regarding eligibility under current rules must be submitted by schools and conferences no later than July 31. The NCAA previously stated that athletes whose fourth year of college eligibility ended by spring 2026 would not receive any additional eligibility under the new model. NOTE: It also would give flexibility to currently enrolled athletes with eligibility after the 2025-26 academic year to apply the age-based model or continue previous eligibility rules, whichever is more beneficial to that individual.

As kickers, we don't usually get to "enjoy" the spoils of the NCAA's NIL money grab. We often stand on the sidelines, like we do, and wait for our time to shine. And that's a-OK. I write this to simply let you know that at the highest level of play (P4-D1), it's now just a free-for-all. Congress can't get a bill into law to curtail some of the madness, and the NCAA doesn't seem to want to roll-up it's sleeves and get some law and order in place. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.... unless you have some help. I can help provide some guidance. DM me. _ _ READ THIS FROM ON3.com _ _ After a Texas judge blasted a hole Monday in the one NCAA rule everyone seems to agree needs to be on the books (don't bet on your own team), NCAA president Charlie Baker begged Congress to pass a bill Baker didn't fully support as recently as last week. Unfortunately for Baker, the bill probably won't pass. Even if it did, it wouldn't help avoid decisions like the one Judge Ken Curry released Monday. Thanks to an injunction granted by Curry, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will be allowed to play in 2026 even though Sorsby has admitted to violating the NCAA's gambling rules multiple times and, more specifically, admitted to betting on Indiana football while a member of Indiana’s football team in 2022 and 2023. This feels like a tipping point. Lots of NCAA rules are controversial. This one is not. It has a 100 percent approval rating outside Lubbock, Texas. If you can't enforce this rule, you can't reasonably expect to enforce any rules. The question now is whether the presidents and commissioners who run the sport will finally give up on the pipe dream of getting bailed out by Congress and start doing the work required to actually fix the mess they've made. The next step should be obvious: It's time to collectively bargain with the players.

Seven years ago, executives from the NCAA asked the government to get involved and help solve the myriad of issues related to NIL, paying athletes, eligibility and so much more that was getting out of control in college sports (football & basketball in particular). They lobbied hard for a congressional bill – in 2019. Today, the SCORE Act (the "answer" to these issues) has received zero floor votes, not even getting to the floor in a very public and embarrassing death. College sports' hopes for a federal solution for their very expensive and self-made problems – unlimited transfers, skyrocketing roster values and 27-year-olds playing in college – now seem to rest with two people: a conservative Texan, Ted Cruz, and a Democratic Senate mainstay, Maria Cantwell. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? You're on your own to figure it out.... so DON'T go it alone. Coaches, parents, compliance officers, leaders in business, branding and marketing and ChatGPT might all have suggestions (and answers) to your questions. But you have to choose what's best for you. The point is... YOU HAVE AGENCY over yourself. Accept it. Embrace it. Go out an get. Don't wait for others to decide for you. Harsh? Maybe, but honest. Want to chat about your situation? DM me.

Our own @Ellis Wangelin sent me a text this morning asking about D3, the Portal and the eligibility of the Anna Maria College football players for the Fall season (since their school just announced that it was closing its doors this Spring). I hadn't even heard of Anna Maria! (It's a small DIII school in Massachusetts — with a great football program). I thought I'd turn Ellis' inquiry into a post, to which the answer I gave him was — YES, THE ANNA MARIA PLAYERS ARE ALL ELIGIBLE TO TRANSFER AND PLAY THIS FALL BECAUSE THERE IS A SPECIAL EXEMPTION FOR WHEN YOUR COACH SUDDENLY LEAVES... AND IF YOU SCHOOL SHUTS DOWN. 😳 As a "joke", I sent a text to my friend Jake Wissing (Head Football Coach at UW-River Falls — Ellis and my alma mater, btw — Defending D3 National Champions🏆) when I saw that their QB was the MASCAC conference's Player of the Year (as a freshman — #14 — every good QB wears number #14 😜). Guess what? He texted me back in seconds that he was having a call with their starting RB this morning! The announcement went out yesterday at 3:13 EST. That's like, 16 hours! 🤪 _ _ _ Understand this... high school/college players, parents and coaches: news travels fast today, at all levels because social media exists in a 24/7 "news cycle". Don't presume people aren't watching. SOME ARE. My advice: BE ABLE TO BE FOUND (on social) — With a "brand" (that's you) that is easy to work with. "I'm a good student, Ive got talent, a passion for the game and a willingness to work hard and compete." "Oh, and my parents aren't crazy." 🤣 That's about it. 🏈 NOTE: I run a brand consultancy company when I am not coaching football. If you make "me" jump through too many hoops, I am not going to buy your product, endorse you or help you succeed. BUT IF YOU ARE EASY TO WORK WITH (and your brand stands for something special), don't be surprised when good things come your way! 🤩