Nick Saban says Alabama QB Bryce Young has signed nearly $1M worth of endorsement deals already
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young appears to be quickly capitalizing on the ability to make sponsorship and endorsement money.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said that Young had "approached ungodly numbers" in his name, image and likeness deals already. College athletes across the country were allowed to make money off their name and image rights starting July 1 as the NCAA rolled back its restrictive rules limiting athletes' rights in the wake of state laws superseding NCAA rules.
Saban made his comments about Young's endorsement deals at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention on Tuesday. He spoke there ahead of his appearance at SEC media days on Wednesday.
Our quarterback [Bryce Young] already has approached ungodly numbers. I’m not going to say what they are. He hasn’t even played yet. He hasn’t been a starter. If I told you what he’s … it’s almost 7-figures. And it’s like the guy hasn’t even played yet. That’s because of our program.
Young was Alabama's No. 2 QB in 2020 behind Mac Jones. He played sparingly last season after arriving on campus as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 QB in the class of 2020.
When told about Saban's comments earlier in the day, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said at SEC media days that he was "blown away" by how much Young's deals were worth and at one point even revisited the topic after an unrelated question because he was so staggered by the figure.
If Young has signed $900,000 worth of endorsement deals in three weeks, he's still got a long way to go to match Saban's salary. About 90% more to go, in fact. Saban made $9.1 million as Alabama's head coach in 2020. He's worth that really ungodly money — Alabama has become the dominant program in college football since he's arrived and he's generated more in revenue than Alabama has paid him. But Young is clearly worth a lot too as Alabama's presumed starter. The first 20 days of July are proof of that.
And while you can quibble with Saban's descriptor of Young's endorsement deals, you can't argue with why he's bragging about it. Texas is a huge recruiting ground for SEC schools. Spreading the word about the potential earning power at Alabama to top Texas coaches who will turn around and tell their best players what Saban said is a powerful recruiting tool.
Kirby Smart: NIL rules won't change college football 'substantially'
Georgia coach Kirby Smart — a former Saban assistant — took his turn at SEC media days on Tuesday. And Smart said that he didn't see the ability for players to make money off themselves as something that would fundamentally change college football.
“I don’t think personally that it’s going to blow up college football or change anything substantially,” Smart said.
Smart left open the possibility that NIL rules could affect recruiting in the future, but said that the ability for future college athletes to make money hasn't impacted his discussions with recruits and their families so far. Starting QBs at SEC schools are always going to be in a prime position for sponsorship and endorsement income.
“How has it affected recruiting? I don’t think it’s impacted recruiting, especially when you talk about SEC to SEC recruiting," Smart said. "We’re under certain parameters, so it doesn’t make for a competitive advantage.”
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