"This needs to leave college sports": Texas Longhorns' recruiting tactics with Lamborghinis draws criticism from renowned sports personality
The Texas Longhorns are one of the biggest college football programs. They should have little issues in bringing in some of the best players to their school. But their recent recruitment tactics have come under fire.
This weekend, the Longhorns program is hosting many potential recruits. A video has been posted on social media showing some of these potential future Longhorns walking past a selection of Lamborghinis. These swanky cars were parked outside the athletic facilities of the program.
This has rubbed a few people the wrong way, including the CEO of On3.com, Shannon Terry, who responded to this video by writing on social media:
"This needs to leave college sports."
The Longhorns are one of the most recognisable programs in all of college sports. Playing at the highest level will only raise the players' profile, which could increase their chances of signing a large NIL deal, enough to buy one Lamborghini.
The university itself is working with their commercial partners to offer many high-paying NIL deals. And this is before the dealings of quarterback Quinn Ewers (who has a NIL value of $1.9 million according to On3.com) are mentioned.
Is what the Texas Longhorns did legal?
The rules surrounding NIL and recruitment are somewhat hazy. This has led to many lawsuits and civil cases on the subject, most notably the case involving the Tennessee Volunteers' recruitment.
However, what Texas is doing is completely legal. This is because there is no connection with a NIL deal and committing to play for the Texas Longhorns.
They are not rewarding recruits with a Lamborghini or any kind of sports car. They are merely using the cars as a way to show off the lifestyle one could have.
There are many people who will say that this is a bad method to recruit players. A large number of these players may struggle to make in onto the team in their first or second year and then transfer to another college.
However, this could also be Texas adapting to today's recruits, who see all these athletes, like Quinn Ewers or Shedeur Sanders, making a ton of money. By showcasing the Lamborghinis, they are seeing that is it possible for them to do it as well.