The Alabama Crimson Tide saw their 2023-24 season come to an end in Monday’s heartbreaking 27-20 overtime loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
In a game of back and forth, and for a large portion of the second half, the Wolverines outlasted in many ways one of Nick Saban’s least talented teams.
The Tide still has plenty of talent, and despite having the “most talented” roster in the nation in 2023 according to 247Sports rankings, the quarterback and wide receiver positions specifically are inferior to what the football factory has in the past. And that showed in Monday’s loss.
Crimson Tide NIL Collective Didn’t Hesitate To Rally The Troops
In wake of the team’s tough loss, its NIL collective wasted no time in trying to get donations.
In a video posted on X formerly known as Twitter, Aaron Suttles (Alabama’s director of content) implored fans to get involved with fundraising efforts towards building the Crimson Tide’s NIL collective into the top one in the country.
In the pay-for-play era, it’s the way teams are looking to stay ahead. The more a collective can offer a top recruit in NIL opportunities goes a long way in securing that player’s commitment.
Even schools like Alabama, which has had more success than any other program since head coach Nick Saban arrived in 2007, winning six national championships and playing for nine, has resorted to the new way of recruiting players.
“In this disappointment, we need to take action. We need you to build Alabama’s NIL entity into the biggest in the country. Yeah, Alabama needs your support,” Suttles said.
“Take that bitter disappointment you have and let’s move into using it for good for NIL,”he added. “We need to keep this trail rolling and keep this thing moving forward. The way we do that — the way fans have the most involvement — is supporting NIL.”
Seems a bit odd for a video like this to run immediately following a tough CFP loss, but in this era the money hustle never stops.
Alabama Has Huge NIL Collective But Needs More?
Alabama has one of the deepest and strongest NIL collectives in all of college football, with only Texas having more cash to pass out of the Final Four teams in the CFP.
In fact, the Bama and Texas NIL setups dwarf those of both Michigan and Washington, who’ll play for the national championship on Monday night in Houston.
Under Nick Saban, Alabama has finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in ten of the past 13 years, and in those other three years they still finished in the top three.
So, yes, the landscape of college football and sports has indeed changed, but the Crimson Tide are still bagging top recruits even without a ton of NIL money.
Saban’s success rate of getting guys to the pros plays a major factor in that.
The legendary Alabama head coach is the only coach in history with a first-round pick at every position on offense and defense.
Saban Says Alabama Distributes NIL Money Judiciously
Saban has been one who’s lobbied hard for more rules and regulations as pertain to NIL. He also mentioned that every player has different circumstances, meaning not all incoming freshmen have deals.
In his opinion most players must earn that right before it’s given, and that’s something he’s consistently stated when speaking on the new way college sports are mandated.
Don’t fret, Alabama will once again be loaded next year with the 2023 No. 1 recruiting class seeing more playing time and the 2024 class (ranked No.2) ready to assist and contribute.
