Less than a year into the NIL Era, officials say the college sports landscape is dramatically shifting back into the booster-driven world that plagued it decades ago.
LSU’s Kayshon Boutte, one of the nation’s top receivers, nearly entered the transfer portal in December until a booster was able to offer him an NIL deal that kept him in Baton Rouge.
What Tommy Bowden remembers most are the alligator-skin boots and the shiny new cars, the pricey Rolexes and diamond-studded chains.
One by one, SMU players funneled into the room for individual interviews with dozens of college coaches from across the country, all of them descending upon Dallas to survey the best stock of players money could buy.