CFB Culture: No Experience Necessary
Wake up calls; NIL transfers; culture and record setting performances dominate the first weekend of CFB
Taking a look at NIL lessons from Week 1 of the 2024 CFB season and how they can apply to sports, business and life.
If you are an athlete and would like our team to help share your story, please DM us or email TheNILReport@gmail.com.
I have long maintained that CFB’s opening weekend is among the best in all of sports. And in CFB’s new era, it certainly did not disappoint if you know where to look.
Conference realignment has always been odd, felt strange in theory. That was made tangible with Oregon and Washington playing late night games on the Big Ten Network.
Across the nation, there were new transfers and coaches making their debuts with their new teams; well documented NIL money moves ($20 Million rosters anyone?) and the best cultural experiences in sport.
A Tradition 12 Strong
Way back in 1922, Texas A&M was playing in the Dixie Classic against No. 1 Centre College (boy, have times changed).
Nearly every Aggie was injured and so the coach called upon E. King Gill out of the stands to fill in. A&M won 22-14 and the legend of the 12th Man was born.
Fast forward to the 1980s, and a new Aggies coach created the tradition to have a kickoff unit made up entirely of walk-ons. Open tryouts; no experience necessary.
Focusing on being excellent at one thing; obsessing over ever detail and playing with a chip on their shoulder helped create one of CFB’s strongest cultures. The unit went from no experience to executing better than the scholarship guys. They beat Notre Dame and Heisman winner Tim Brown in the 1988 Cotton Bowl.
The Aggies may have lost to the Irish, but their culture cannot be duplicated and provides them a competitive advantage in spite of the scoreboard.
Having a strong team culture and focusing on your core competencies provides a rock solid foundation to build on. Ultimately, it will allow you to excel at a high level. In NIL and beyond.
Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee sent shockwaves throughout the college athletics landscape when an NIL Collective inked then QB recruit Nico Iamaleava to a near $8M NIL deal.
Much controversy and several lawsuits later, Nico is the starting QB for the Vols.
He threw for a school record 314 first half yards and three touchdowns in his long awaited first ever regular season start in the 69-3 win over Chattanooga.
Can he take the Vols to the promised land? More patience is required to find out.
Patience is your key to have long term success.
Vanderbilt?
Elsewhere in the Volunteer State, the Vanderbilt Commodores upset Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime in what was the most thrilling upset of the day.
Vandy snapped a 10-game losing streak as well as a 61-game losing streak when trailing by seven or more points in the fourth quarter. That was largely thanks to New Mexico State transfer QB Diego Pavia who had 290 total yards and three TDs.
The Commodores still face a daunting SEC schedule, however, for one Saturday in Nashville, there were good vibes.
It goes to prove that you can always work to turn your fortunes around—even when everyone has counted you out.
Wake Up Calls
A ton of teams had big wake up calls in the first week. From Colorado to UCLA to Oregon to Texas Tech to South Carolina and Houston.
It should serve as a reminder to always stay sharply prepared no matter the competition or meeting or task ahead.
Sometimes you survive in overtime vs an ACU or have unbelievable talents like Travis Hunter save you vs North Dakota State.
Other times you are left blindsided and bankrupt, wondering what just happened and having to pick up the pieces.
A 9th Year
Nick Saban may no longer be coaching CFB, however, Miami (FL) tight end Cam McCormick is still chugging away in his ninth season.
After four season ending injuries in Oregon, McCormick caught a the first touchdown of the season for the Hurricanes in the 41-17 route of rival Florida.
Just your run of the mill reminder to battle through adversity—always. You will reap the rewards.
Star of the Day
Boise State’s running back Ashton Jeanty had 20 carries for 267 yards and six touchdowns. The Broncos needed every single one of them as they beat Georgia Southern 56-45 in a good ole fashioned barn burner.
Location Matters
The three pieces of advice in real estate: location, location, location.
Just off the shores of Lake Michigan, Northwestern has exactly that. While the Wildcats are demolishing old Ryan Field and building a new $800 Million dollar stadium, they are playing most of their home games in a temporary stadium at one of their practice fields.
The bad news? This looks like an $8,000 make shift stadium. The good news? Being only the fourth waterfront CFB property—along with Washington, Baylor and Tennessee—immediately makes Evanston a destination.
Even if the Cats needed a last drive pick to seal a 13-6 victory over Miami (OH).
You Can’t Win Them All
The much anticipated No. 1 Georgia vs No. 14 Clemson game ultimately fell flat with the Bulldogs smashing the Tigers 34-3. However, the result reminded us that the ‘you can’t win ‘em all’ lesson applies to both teams.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said prior to the game that “It’s not about the scoreboard today.”
A clear indication from a coach basically admitting that they know this game may not turn out the way their fans want it to. And while the Tigers only trailed 6-0 at half, the wheels finally fell off.
For Georgia, the Dawgs certainly look like a No. 1 team and in prime position to win their third national title in four years. So why did they not win it all in 2023?
Because the cruel reality of CFB eliminated them from having an opportunity to compete for one in the four team playoff after a three-point SEC title game loss to Alabama.
As you build towards your goals, remember it will take time to become great—like Clemson hopes to do—and even when you are on top—like Georgia—there may be times when you stumble and need to recover to get back to the mountaintop.