College ball a money pit under NIL

Last week demonstrated why any Razorback gear I buy features the state’s name, the Hog logo or Razorbacks name, but not any mention of a coach or player.

I may like a coach or a player, but I’m a fan of the program. And in today’s environment, the lack of longevity of either players or coaches just makes it too risky to buy clothing with their names on it.

I’m probably safe getting something with Dave Van Horn’s name on it. But how many Muss bus T-shirts are now relegated to garages for use in the next oil change?

Eric Musselman’s departure as the University of Arkansas head basketball coach wasn’t scheduled, but apparently the University of Southern California’s top basketball job was attractive enough Musselman was ready to steer the bus westbound. It’s familiar territory for him. Musselman is a graduate of the University of San Diego and had three coaching jobs in California. His mom lives in San Diego.

It’s a disappointment. It took so long to recover from Nolan Richardson’s departure in 2002; two mediocre coaches in the first decade then a better, but not great, Mike Anderson. Musselman delivered four years of thrilling, competitive basketball and one year, the latest, of frustration. I always hope the Hogs find coaches who succeed and love the state enough to stick around. It’s hard to find one with both qualities. Whether Musselman could have achieved either in the future is up for debate.

Perhaps Musselman’s decision was entirely about location, but I wonder how much the tumultuous changes involving financial compensation for NCAA athletes had an influence. Musselman is said to be a modern coach capable of navigating the new name-image-likeness/transfer portal world of college athletics, although this past season may have exposed some limits.

Arkansas announced creation of its NIL “collective,” known as Arkansas Edge, in November. Ever since, the athletic department has pushed hard for fans to pony up money to fund it. The money will be used to meet players’ expectations for big pay days in return for their efforts on the collegiate field of competition.

Last month, the athletics department launched an urgent pursuit of 5,000 “members” for its collective. Arkansas, it seems, is far behind on creating a strong NIL program that’s becoming the necessary path in the pay-to-play era. Valuing a free college education is quite literally old school. More than ever, college sports is focused on money.

I don’t begrudge players wanting a piece of the lucrative college sports money-making machinery. But I do dislike the quid pro quo nature of the financials in the collegiate realm. Recruits are said to be demanding money just to visit campuses. Their talks with coaches center on money far more than in the past.

USC, according to football coach Lincoln Riley, has taken some “monster leaps” in recent months to become a stronger financial resource in the Los Angeles market for paying players. Did a stronger NIL resource catch Musselman’s eye?

Is Arkansas going to be able to keep up in this kind of recruiting climate? Even a school with a strong basketball history will find its efforts boil down to how much money they can pay prospects and current players. Did Musselman leave for literally greener pastures, not in terms of his salary but of what it takes to lure in the players necessary to be competitive?

It’s the Wild West on NIL and the transfer portal. If it stays like this, I worry Arkansas and other schools with great basketball traditions but located in not-so-rich locales will see their capacity to attract players dwindle. The rich will get richer. The poor will be in the NIT.