I'm not sure I agree with the national opinion that this shifts the college football paradigm. The kid is a CB and sees the opportunity to be coached by arguably the greatest cover cornerback of all time. Also, Deion is flamboyant, draws a crowd and has connections throughout the NFL, so if he plays well, he is still going to be seen. This isn't going to be true of many other HBCU.

Anyway, I do think the possibility of a mass movement of AA athletes to HBCU schools would be an interesting development. One player in basketball would really be able to make much more of an impact than football. We'll see how this plays out.

Sentiment can only carry you so far. It's tough to pass up the absolute luxury these biggest programs are offering. There is a punter at Oklahoma who vlogs regularly about his day. The dorms are nothing like regular dorms with big, single rooms around a suite and each room having its own bathroom. The athletic facilities are like a playland. Good food whenever you get hungry. Free, first run athletic gear. Those programs also offer post grad opportunities beyond football if you play your cards right.

However, if the choice is between somewhere like a Sun Belt school and HBCU, I can see making the switch.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I think you’re burying the lede that the kid got a 7-figure NIL deal from Barstool for making the switch.

…and that Deion does some work for Barstool.

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I think that will end up being an unwise investment or at least a loss leader. They will have to invest a tremendous amount of hype into him just to make him semi recognized by big football fans and ultimately a CB doesn't bring in all that much interest. If he's good, they won't throw at him.

Obviously Barstool must be flush with cash.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Did you see his commitment video?

He put Cliff Alexander to shame. He put on one hat then took it off and threw it off to the side on the floor. Then another. And finally put on the JSU hat.

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You know me like that.

Perfect move for Deion. He'll get the FSU coach fired, get that job, and the kid will enter the transfer portal and join him.

It’s very weird to me, which is not to say it’s wrong, but it’s just so unfamiliar I don’t know what to make of it.

It would make some sense if it’s a form of compensation for Deion. They’ll push the kid onto their various properties but I don’t know what that really gets anybody, aside from Jackson St. getting more exposure.

That it’s all backed by gaming company money makes it all stranger.

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NIL was always going to result in some uncomfortable bedfellows.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Yeah that seems pretty likely.

I have a hard time seeing Deion as a head coach.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I heard that at year end JSU was close to selling out a 60k stadium and had most games televised to boot. And Deion was on this morning denying any knowledge of a $1.5MM deal.

Not that I believe him.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Yep...and the paradigm shift will quickly be forgotten.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

I'm surprised we haven't seen it in basketball. You would think one kid, somewhere, would want to give it a shot. It would generate a lot of attention and he would have a higher profile than just another blue chip recruit at Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc.

We did last year with Makur Maker. His season was a complete disaster at Howard and is now playing in Australia.

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I was watching some of the Howard Georgetown game and wondered about him.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.