Everybody crying about NIL destroying college football needs to shut up and look at what's actually happening with the bag game at USC. The narrative that we are getting outspent by Oregon and Texas is lazy and wrong. Sources close to the program tell me our collective is structured completely differently than the big spendesr up north. We are not trying to win the offseason NIL arms race by throwing $2 million at every five-star who visits campus. That is how you end up with a roster full of mercenaries who check out the second they don't get the ball.
The smart money right now is on retention bonuses and performance escalators. I am hearing our staff has been quietly locking in the 2026 class with deals that reward guys for staying three years and developing. You think Oregon can keep all five of those five-stars happy when three of them are sitting behind Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola? Good luck with that cap situation. We are targeting the right kids who actually want to be Trojans, not the highest bidder.
The new $20.5 million revenue sharing cap is gonna expose every program that built their roster on flashy one-year NIL deals. USC is positioned perfectly because we have been building relationships with local donors who care about the program long term, not just throwing cash at the 247 composite rankings. Watch what happens when Oregon's bagmen have to choose between paying a 2027 five-star corner $800k or keeping their current roster happy. That math does not work. We are playing the long game and the crystal balls are already shifting our way for 2027.