re: It's crazy what LSU is doing in the portal...

Not really sure. Condron gave a really big amount toward facilities but isn't he kind of against giving much to football NIL? I think I remember him acting like schools being able to pay up to 21 million out of revenue now would take care of the issue but anyone thinking clearly knew that wouldn't solve the real big booster issue and would only make the lower SEC and Big 10 schools more competitive in NIL. The usual teams big boosters would still be pouring money in.

LSU has to be way up there with what they had to pay for those incoming players. Some big boosters must have really stepped up considering his salary and their NIL dealings. Especially after owing Kelly 50 million dollars. Looking at it we were never truly in the race for Kiffin with his NIL demands and what he would have cost. I hope their plan is a failure though and he implodes.

Living here close to BR and knowing a few donors
Im hear upwards of 45Mil for Nil for football only

And they want to be there at least at that for several years to come,
They are saying if Kiffin Has a good year they could up it to 50 Mil a year just for Football

I think we are spending enough to be competitive in the SEC. Sumrall had the option of going to Ole Miss, Auburn and Arkansas and decided to come here instead. He didn't come here for the logo, so we obviously are spending more than those three. Ole Miss obviously spends a decent amount and Auburn is known for throwing around cash, so it seems we spread it around more evenly than either of those two schools.

If we are spending more than Ole Miss and Auburn, we should be spending in that 2nd tier of schools after Texas, A&M, Miami, Oregon, and Ohio State, which is plenty to get into the playoffs. And you have to think of it similarly as the NFL. All you need to do is get in the playoffs, and at that point, matchups and injuries are what matters most.

It is so damn hard to know what other schools are spending. There's so much gamesmanship that goes on. Hell, the revenue that schools like Texas and A&M report has been filled with all kind of BS for years for appearances sake.

We are spending more than Ole Miss who made the playoffs last year. We are spending more than Auburn who has been known to spend a ton, even before it was legal.

Why do you think we are spending so little? I am not saying we are at the Texas/A&M/Ohio State/LSU level. But we didn't get DJ Lagway or LJ McCray or Dallas Wilson because we were cheap. We didn't retain Baugh, Woods, and Wilson on discounts.

We spent a ton of money last year. More than enough to make the playoffs with that roster. It was just wasted on guys who didn't contribute (i.e. Sapp and Lagway) or were injured (Dallas Wilson and Caleb Banks).

I think you are underselling how bad Billy Napier was at roster management. He spent a ton on injured guys and young guys, not on trenches or filling needs in the portal.

Also, if it was simply about money, then look at how the biggest spenders did last year:

Texas - Missed Playoffs.

Texas A&M - lost in first round.

Ohio State - lost in their first game in the quarterfinals.

LSU (they spent a ton on both the portal and recruiting last year too) - fired their coach and missed the playoffs.

Texas Tech - got shut out in the quarterfinals.

Miami - 3rd in the ACC. They made the championship game but honestly had no business in the playoffs in the first place. But they do show that with the playoffs, making a run is a crapshoot that depends on matchups and staying healthy.

Not sure we are spending more than Òle Miss the past few seasons. Different estimates are given. If we are its because our high school spending is a lot more as their transfer portal spending is clearly way higher. Auburn like us are definitely not in that top 5 group spending in the SEC - TX, A&M, LSU, GA and Bama.

There is no doubt Ole Miss has spent more than us in the portal, but I definitely don't think its clear they are spending more than us overall. Just look at our recruiting rankings. We have spent a ton on recruits and player retention whereas they spend way more on the portal.

It was also a pretty open secret they wanted Sumrall, but they definitely had a more complicated situation with Kiffin and the playoffs.

The other thing is that UGA and Bama aren't spending a ton on NIL. At least not on the Texas/A&M level. They are typically getting discounts due to player development. We've had to pay the "suck tax" throughout Napier's tenure.

In my mind based on what I have gathered from our sources and other teams sources, in the SEC, you have a clear first tier with Texas and A&M. LSU may have jumped to that tier with the Kiffin hiring. Then you have a second tier that is pretty comparable, with UF/Bama/Auburn/UGA/Tennessee/Ole Miss/Oklahoma.

If you are spending in that 2nd tier, you are spending enough to make the playoffs if you have good coaching. Which we not have had so far in the 2020's.

There is also no doubt in my mind that we can jump to the top tier with good fundraising. Florida Victorious and the UAA have shown very little alignment. There are stories all over about funds being diverted away from NIL to go to things like building facilities. And other than sending out a cute little gift box, they don't do much to foster good will among regular boosters.

What we need to do is do a way better job with both the Ole Miss model of getting every day fans involved (similar to their Grove Collective) as well as buttering up our higher level boosters. We are definitely not operating on all cylinders on that front.

All that money and baseball team still gets smacked 7-2 by lonely little la la U haha

Where did I say our goal is 8-4?