It’s good news, I guess, that star high school athlete Zahir Mathis committed to the University of Maryland football team after decommitting from national champion Ohio State, as the Maryland squad needs all the help it can get after a 1-8 record in the Big 10 Conference this past season (4-star Mathis commits to Terps on signing day, Feb. 7).
Young Mr. Mathis is quoted in the article as saying, “Coach [Mike] Locksley, he’s a big figure for me,” and how great Mathis’ recruitment “journey” has been, and that he chose Maryland because of how coach Locksley plans on using him on the field at UMD.
Maybe all that is true, but in this era of name, image and likeness (NIL) in college sports, you can’t help but wonder if the reason this young man, and others, choose Maryland, or anywhere else, is simply because they are offered more money and not because of coach, college or campus, or — wink — the school’s academic excellence.
Who can blame these star high school athletes for cashing in on their college pots of gold? But why can’t they just say, I’m getting paid more here than there and that’s why I’m here — at least for this year, I may be out for bid again next year.
I’m curious, though: Are these NIL athletes at UMD considered state employees? How much, for example, does Maryland freshman basketball star Derik Queen make, if he is, in fact, being paid by the university? The same for incoming freshman quarterback Malik Washington. And how about Zahir Mathis himself, and other players? How many millions of NIL dollars does it take to recruit players to Maryland and other universities? ESPN reports $20 million annually per university. Are these NIL dollars taxpayer dollars? Booster dollars? Increased student fees? Maybe The Baltimore Sun can check it out and let us know.
And why is the specific amount of NIL money paid to players rarely, if ever, mentioned by coaches or players? Unlike the pros, the college money is very hush-hush. Is this to maintain the ruse of amateurism to go along with the players’ professed allegiance to and love of this particular university, however temporary? You know, rah, rah, team. An active transfer portal in which college players can transfer schools without penalty suggests otherwise.
It’s easy to find out what Ravens and Orioles players are paid. We know how much Terps’ football coach Mike Locksley and basketball coach Kevin Willard make. Why not their players?
— Bernard Haske, Catonsville
