OSU Allegedly Offering 1st-Round Money to MHJ and Henderson

Nothing is guaranteed in life but MHJ getting drafted top 5 and being a perennial all pro would be better overall for the program and MHJ. 

Henderson coming back I would sort of get, even if I think he's unlikely to improve his stock much.  But Harrison is absolutely not sticking around in Columbus for money reasons.  Also, assuming we're amortizing a first-round contract + signing bonus over the 5 years they usually span means Harrison is due about $7-$8M/yr at a top-5 pick, which would be a hell of a lot of money to hand over to one guy, and Henderson has a low first rounder would be another $3-$4M, so we're talking about $10-$12M for 2 guys.  That's a LOT of money for these collectives, who we've seen talk about one number but struggle more often than not to pay close to that.  

I mean, if OSU wants to try to stave off a 4th loss go for it but this feels like a bad idea for a team that likely will also need to sign a QB, some additional skill position players on offense and defense, etc.

We should offer MHJ 1st round money to come here!

1st Round Money means $20M guaranteed.

So, basically, staying on-brand with the Tressel era

Pure desperation. A real coach would be trying to get these kids to the league.

Let me guess, Harrison is getting an NIL contract from the Columbus Maserati dealer?

Henderson should stay.  He's like Donovan Edwards (homerun threat, but not elite vision or balance) minus the receiving ability. Also, running backs just not getting paid in the league these days.

MHJ is a generational talent and should leave asap.  Guy was NFL ready last year.  He'll be a top 5 receiver in the league next year and has all the measurables and intangibles for a hall of fame career with some QB luck and avoiding injuries.  Get started toward that 2nd contract (generational wealth) asap.

No way Marvin Harrison stays lol.  He’s like the only can’t miss this year in the draft.  

Marvin looked like a guy who couldn't wait to get out of Columbus. Henderson however was one of the few showing emotion and fire. So even beyond the money and prospects it'd make much more sense for Henderson to stay. Feel a little bad for the guy that he went to that sterile lifeless place instead of a real university where he could be a part of a good culture instead of an NFL packing facility.

Didn't Stroud take it down to the last day a year ago?

Harrison coming back for one year of money when he's a guaranteed top 5 pick with a new QB coming in and skipping out on guaranteed money of an NFL contract would be insane.

🎵 Marv Maserati weighs two hundred and five

He lost The Game when Rod picked off their drive 🎵

Henderson is extremely talented, but he is just as brittle. He's as talented but more brittle than JK Dobbins, who was a 2nd rounder, I believe. I wouldn't be surprised to see TH back because he is not going to make the 1st because of his peanut brittle plantars. 

We will have the same defensive line coming back--same but a year more in the weight room and scheme--so I have faith he "isn't him." 

I do, however, hope MHJ goes so that my Bears can do the right thing and draft him over a QB. He'll make more in the long run by going pro now because he's already the OPOY favorite. 

Hard to imagine they'd have the NIL budget to offer "first-round money" to even one player, let alone two.

Well that kind of money is culturally significant. Should enhance Team chemistry. Any assurances they still won't have to learn where the campus is?

Is it enough money to cover the monthly payments on a special edition Louis Vuitton Maserati? 

2 words (unfortunate) about staying for MHJr:  Zak Zinter!  Bad thing about Harrison, not a kid who needs to collect the bag!

We did this last year with Blake and a few of the O-linemen. I remember it being said that they weren’t giving anything up financially by coming back due to their NIL deals. 

Harrison will leave. Would be crazy not to. Henderson would be stupid not to take first round $ because he is a running back. Running backs are not worth first round $ anymore IMO.

Unless he has a strong desire to continue the student athlete experience at Thee Ohio State University, then Mazda Marv is going to move on.

The problem with football factories is it is all about the money and moving on to the pros.  There is no reason for Marv to stay.

I assume the same for Henderson.

Someone like Cade Stover could be persuaded to come back for NIL.

MHJ is a top 5 draft pick, and #5 (Witherspoon) last year got a 4-year rookie deal for $31.9 million, with $20.2 million signing bonus.  The contract is fully guaranteed for Witherspoon.  If MHJ goes pro, he's essentially guaranteed $31.9 million (or more).  Are you telling me that OSU is matching that?  Or even matching 1/4 ($8 million) of that?  That's insane and dumb. If I were MHJ, I sit out the bowl game, take my $32 million, and have a jeweler make some fake gold pants jewelry to make up for never winning The Game.  There's no way he should go back to OSU and risk $32 million (or more) when you're a lock to go so high in the draft.

As for Henderson, if he goes last pick in the first round, that's a fully guaranteed $11.8M contract, or about $3 million per year. Now, I don't think he's a first round talent but if OSU is giving him "first round money" then that means that amount.

I just have a hard time seeing OSU shelling out that much.

There isn't a RB in college right now that should even sniff the first round.  I know I wouldn't be wasting a 1st rd pick on a RB.  The NFL is not a RB league anymore.  You can find good RB's in late rounds or even as FA signings.  

I don’t believe it. That’s like almost $20M on 2 players and that’s probably most of their NIL budget. I’ll believe it when I see it

Would be smart for Henderson because he’s a3 RD rd pick at best. Maserati Marv or whatever they’re calling him is gone if he’s smart.  Top 10 pick and get to that 2nd contract a year earlier.  This stanks of desperation and is clearly having a huge negative impact on the locker room.  I’ve been steadfast in my opinion that a high end player like say Dante Moore isn’t worth splitting up your locker room over if needing to give a boat load of NIL to the other guys are going to resent its human nature.  

Sticking around is for probable second rounders who want to play their way into the first. It’s the least wise option for guaranteed top 10 picks. 

So will OSU cover these guys if they get hurt in college and never end up with a full NFL contract? I could see it working out for Henderson but not for Harrison. There's no way he would get money to match what he will get in the NFL where he is projected. If he was the first pick which is entirely possible he could get  a $41 million dollar contract with a $26 million dollar signing bonus and an annual cap hit of $7.4 million. Not a chance OSU comes anywhere close to those numbers.

Honestly, good for the two young men. 

First Round Money > First Round Money and losing to Michigan again

I read an article on Yahoo earlier that said Henderson is staying.  If you are Harrison or Henderson, do you take first round money for one year by staying at OSU, or do you take first round money for a few years by entering and getting drafted?  

If Corum isn’t a 1st round, there’s no way in hell Henderson is. He’s made of glass and produces nothing against a D with a pulse. Maybe he’s got less miles on himself than Blake, but that’s only because he’s been injured half the time. No way he goes round 1. Now MHJ….he can name his price. 

MHJ is extremely good but comes across as a freaking prima Donna.  As some have mentioned, I wouldn’t doubt that he may be negatively affecting the locker room and culture over there.  His hustle and effort (or lack of) after the WJ interception immediately jumped off the screen to me.  IMO, it spoke volumes as to what type of player he is.  He would fit perfect in the league.  

Henderson should take that deal: he's not durable enough to last an entire rookie contract, so he's getting the same four years regardless of when he enters the draft. Most guys are trying to tack on years to the back end of their first contract, but he'd be wise to attach years before it. And plus, he's going to tweak his ankle in the second game, miss the next nine, come back to get worked by Michigan a fourth time, then skip the bowl game to prep for the draft. First round pay for 2.5 games isn't a bad deal and barely adds miles to the odometer.

NFL Groupies > OSU Groupies (considering OSU groupies are a bunch of middle aged men who wear face paint and costumes to games)

Probably not true, but if it is, could explain why other guys are in the portal. If you're the QB or the other RB, who played better against Michigan, what are the chances being offered way less money than multiple teammates doesn't rub you the wrong way?