DJ Waller to transfer ? Why

Submitted by SammyBlue on April 24th, 2024 at 6:06 PM

Seemed to have such upside 

AZBlue

April 24th, 2024 at 7:43 PM ^

Sort of a thread-jack….. 6’8” 2025 4* OT target Jack Lange out of Missouri committed to Missouri tonight live on On3.  Top 150 kid,  knows our 2024 OT commit Andrew Sprague fairly well etc.

Not a huge deal as I am sure M will find good OL in the class no matter what —I.e. Avery Gach (4* IOL from MI) will almost certainly be going Blue when he announces 5/3.

DMack

April 25th, 2024 at 1:10 AM ^

I thought Waller would be in line to start or play significant minutes this season too. If the post about not receiving the NIL $$$ he was expecting is true, I could see why he might want to leave. 

Players have to weigh their options and balance them with their values in life. They can only play this game for so long and injury is a very real possibility. On one hand, he has access to a great education and a life of connections that are second to none but, on the other hand, no one wants to feel used or manipulated either.

 I keep hearing about how great the culture is now but I'm wondering why good players who contributed to making history together don't seem willing to stay the course for the bigger picture and the brotherhood? Many of them are next in line for their opportunity to go to the NFL and make really good money. UM has been talking about how to use NIL and not wanting it to be transactional for years now, but it seems the smartest and wealthiest folks in the room can't keep other schools from poaching our players with $$$. UM Football brings in billions. There shouldn't be a problem with figuring out how to get these kids compensated, if you truly believe they should be paid. I think the poaching would stop and the culture enhanced, if "UM takes care of all their players" was believed and embedded in the culture. 

 Perhaps the smart guys on this board can point out the cons and hurdles of this idea:      UM places donation bins at all the home games and ask the 115,000 patrons to donate $1. to the team for NIL and that $$$ gets placed in a trust to be divided amongst the players at the end of the season? I'm not trying to be a smart-ass but I'm curious as to why we are losing this battle and the hearts and minds of athletes who are being told by other schools that "UM just wants to use you and throw you away once they have no more use for you". "Everyone else is getting paid and they're still talking in circles but keeping all the money". 

DMack

April 25th, 2024 at 11:17 AM ^

Chaz I don't want to muddy the waters here. Champions Circle could certainly administrate the idea but this money would be for the athletes who play football that season. And $1. or more could mean a nice check at the end of the year. How much is Champions Circle giving the players each year now? (I honestly don't know, curious as to how C.C. works and how much the athletes make).

growler4

April 25th, 2024 at 3:05 AM ^

Well, as an affluent alumnus, I can speak to this from my own perspective.

I have no interest in paying kids to play sports for the University of Michigan. They already get access to a great education and don't leave school with the massive amount of debt that the average student accumulates. They also get academic and other support that the average student doesn't get.

I view them as doing an apprenticeship. They are given the opportunity to excel and make big $ as a professional athlete. I also don't expect medical interns and residents, essentially graduate medical students in training, to make big $ just because staff physicians are paid handsomely.

Now, I recognize that the time commitment for an athlete likely precludes their ability to work a part time job that the typical college student may take, so I have no problem with athletes, including non-scholarship athletes, getting a modest stipend. In addition, if their likeness is being used in a for profit enterprise like a video game, then I think it fair that they get compensation.

However, if someone just wants to get paid for playing a sport, then go to a professional league, perhaps even a minor or developmental league, and get paid.

 

Booted Blue in PA

April 25th, 2024 at 7:17 AM ^

compensation is very much relative......    

it doesn't matter how much you make, if you don't live within your means.    

Working in the field of finance,  i know people who are living comfortably with a household income of less than six digits and by retirement age they've accumulated more than a million dollars to support their lifestyle......... and other who are making three or four times that and are in debt up to their eyeballs and 'can't afford to put money away for retirement'....    but they drive an escalade, take an international vacation every year, belong to a country club, etc.....   

DMack

April 25th, 2024 at 11:10 AM ^

Thank you for that Booted. I actually thought about the possible revenue of such a plan $$$$$ and players walking around campus with that tens of thousands of dollars at one time could be problematic without guidance. Perhaps you give it to them after they graduate but I'm more in favor of at the end of the year. Thoughts???  

kscurrie2

April 25th, 2024 at 8:12 AM ^

Do you agree with schools being paid billions on their backs?   What about the players that get injured which changes the quality of  life for the rest of their life?  Is that free education worth it?  You realize very few players actually go pro. The degree programs that the university pushes them into rare makes a decent wage after college.  You realize that every time a player steps on the field they are risking injuries that could cost thousands of dollars in medical treatment?  Not the same as an apprenticeship.  Plus, no one pays to watch doctors train.

Greatgig

April 25th, 2024 at 9:54 AM ^

I realize this is going to get lost in the comments, but I'm replying to growler: I absolutely see where you're going, but I think modern sports may have left you in the dust. If you truly think a guy will go out looking for a part time job for pizza and beer money when done other place is ready to give you thousands (being conservative) of dollars to just play your sport, you're delusional. The days of amateur sports are over. Sorry you're getting bombed with negs, you're probably a lot like my dad trying to share a comic strip with grandkids who have no idea how important the daily paper used to be. Godspeed 

MinWhisky

April 25th, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^

I'm with you 100% growler4.  As an aside, I would like to know how many "upvotes" you received.  As I write this, you are at a net of -9, but that doesn't necesarily tell the whole story.   I too understand the direction college football is going, but I don't have to like it.  Personally, I prefer the "old" system of conferences and traditional bowl games matching intersectional teams against one another.  Those used to be fun, just like the arguments that ensued as to who was the "best" team in the country.  As for me, I'm trending towards watching more high school football.

 

DMack

April 25th, 2024 at 10:57 AM ^

Growler, I hear you but I cant help but think that your line of thinking is out of touch with the athletes, the times and moreover, this particular situation. You sound like an entitled guy who wants to continue to exploit people for entertainment sake and pretend the crumbs that fall, is all they deserve (let them eat cake!!!). My proposal was that, If you're at a game and you choose not to donate, that's fine. It wouldn't be mandatory. It's for those who enjoy the sport and want to donate in a way that goes directly to the athletes who brought us the experience and want to create a solution for athletes who want to play here but can't as they have to monetize their situation because their families need it sooner than later. A $1.00 donation from 115,000 people, each game, is probably enough to solve the problem. I was really looking for some intelligent and reasoned feedback as to the challenges of such a plan. You're certainly entitled to your opinion but instead of filling the space with your b.s. about how great we are to the athletes, perhaps you can help think of ways to make our university more attractive in the new era of paid college athletics. If the university refuses to share its billions in revenue, they could at least let the entertainment pass the appreciation/tip bucket. 

njvictor

April 24th, 2024 at 6:14 PM ^

If I had to guess he got an NIL offer from somewhere else plus a guaranteed starting job? But yeah, this is a shocker. I guess it's officially Jyaire Hill time