Maryland coach says facilities largely irrelevant in NIL era

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Recruiting is all encompassing. There’s nuances to everything, which is why big time programs leave no stone unturned. Facilities will continue to be invested in b/c they play a role. NIL opportunities will still be explored b/c they play a role. Gear will still be invested in apart of contracts b/c they play a role. However, WINNING will always be the #1 recruiting vehicle.
 
I hear kids talk about facilities wayyyy less than when the boom hit in the late 2000s
 
Facilities are important in eliminating negative recruiting, and for building positive perception about ongoing commitment to the program.

But, no, they're not going to be the primary reason for a signing. I don't think this is news.
Theres a difference between "largely irrelevant" and "not the primary reason". I get it, its a semantics thing, but at the end of the day, they are playing football and not just collecting checks.
 
Strength and conditioning will always play a huge part in physically beating the guy in front of you, mostly in the trenches as we're aware. Facilities aren't important but they definitely need to be sufficient and provide the athlete with as many tools as required to improve in-line with their peers at other universities. That includes proper nutrition and recovery equipment and availability.
Nutrition is absolutely critical but it comes in many forms. Most of the rest is simply for perception and to create an illusion for players,families & fans alike. When we ruled the world and this sport bended around us we easily had top 5 worst facilities in the country. We simply knew what was necessary to get the most out of what we did have available & we used our surroundings to our advantage. I say that while also admitting this is a different world. 99% of kids out there now are just soft. They'd break in a heart beat in the climate we played in. But that's simply society so is what it is. Now kids need to be sold. Simply facts. Any possible way to create an advantage.
 
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Recruiting is all encompassing. There’s nuances to everything, which is why big time programs leave no stone unturned. Facilities will continue to be invested in b/c they play a role. NIL opportunities will still be explored b/c they play a role. Gear will still be invested in apart of contracts b/c they play a role. However, WINNING will always be the #1 recruiting vehicle.
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️👍🏽
 
Our admin after finally dumping money into our facilities for the first time after getting **** on for 30 years about it:

Angry Fed Up GIF
 
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What he said was: "Unfortunately, we moved in at a time when facilities have been de-emphasized in a recruit’s mind. Because they’d get dressed in the trash can for $25,000."

I think it's fair to say that it has been de-emphasized. The rest of his statement is a little too exaggerated though. Facilities will still play a role in a kid's mind because excellent facilities means that money is being poured into the program. If money is being poured into the program, money is likely being poured into NIL too. So I still think that facilities reflect the financial health/wealth of a program and kids will be mindful of that IMO.
$25k? No wonder he's losing recruiting battles.
 
The topic came up when Josh Pate was on the 247 Lake podcast. He pretty much said the same thing. While there is a standard when it comes to facilities, having these over the top, ridiculous facilities isn't the advantage that a lot of fans want to believe it is. It was more of an athletic department flex to show how much money they were making but now that kids actually get to see the money, the flex isn't really all that important to them. They'd gladly trade facilities for better NIL.
 
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