Peterson: A look inside Iowa State's We Will Collective and the transfer portal season

Hypothetical question as we embark on another round of here today, gone tomorrow college football players: What if one or more young Iowa State stars (and there are plenty) was offered a six-figure financial incentive from another school’s collective or name, image and likeness program?

Come play for us, and we’ll take care of you, might be the message.

Would Iowa State counter? Could Iowa State counter?

I posed that question to Brent Blum, executive director of the We Will Collective that helps support Iowa State athletics. I asked that after Blum posted this recently on social media:

“Appreciate Cyclone Nation’s continued support of @WeWillCllective. It’s wild out in the NIL world right now. Without you all helping build the foundation over the last year, times would be really difficult right now. Let’s keep it going.”

So, Brent, just how wild is it right now, knowing the transfer portal opens for business on Monday?

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“The whole system is getting more sophisticated,” Blum said. “It’s becoming more like the NFL, where certain positions in the portal are at a premium compared to others, and the market value is starting to reflect that.”

Except the NFL has rules. There’s no salary cap in college football.

It’s college student-athlete free agency at its finest, also known as the Wild Wild West.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule got people's attention this week when he told reporters: "Make no mistake that a good quarterback in the portal costs, you know, $1 million to $2 million right now, just so we're all on the same page. Let's make sure we all understand what's happening. There are some teams that have $6 (million) or $7 million players playing for them."

Let’s put that in perspective: Former Iowa State star Brock Purdy, one of the NFL's best quarterbacks the last two seasons, had a base salary of $705,000 as a rookie in 2022. He's making $870,000 this season.

Facts, figures and crunching the collective finances

Blum said each Iowa State football player this season received between $1,500 and $25,000. That included a dozen or so walk-ons.

“We don’t just pay them,” Blum said. “In order to make an impact with the (community), we partner them with non-profits.”

We Will’s goal by June 2024 is to restock between $4 million and $5 million in its checkbook. A total of 4,000 investors have pledged various financial amounts, which Blum said range from $5 to the high end.

“Everything matters,” Blum said. “At the end of day, our budget is what we fundraise. It’s up to Iowa State fans. It’s the way of the world.

“We have prepared for the portal season, knowing there will be calls to some Cyclones. Depending on how our board decides, we will go forward. We want to be as responsible as we can.”

Coaches can educate players on how much past players have made through collectives. They can do likewise with portal players looking for new homes. Ultimately, the collective’s board – consisting of Dan McCarney (former football coach), Georges Niang (former basketball player), Ryan Harklau (former football player), Josh Rank (former football player) and ISU alums Brooke Johnson and Steph Copley – makes the final decisions.

More: Peterson: At Iowa State, NIL limitations are a challenge. Can ISU compete in this new world?

“Our board takes a very educated decision-making mindset how we allocate that budget within the team,” Blum said. “We have very football-smart people that know and understand the climate and the market.”

Back to the hypothetical. Can the We Will Collective play in the same ballpark as the schools that throw around six-figure deals?

“We have not reached the six-figure (deal) yet,” Blum said, who added that not all players in the portal are chasing money. “That could change. As for $200,000 someday, it depends. That would be probably on the high end.

“We have enough funds raised that we feel like we’re competitive with our peers in the Big 12, but are we compared to monsters of SEC and the Big Ten? No. We can be in that ballpark, but only to a certain point.”

Iowa State’s Matt Campbell hasn’t been much of a transfer portal coach. He’s snared a few, but a roster full of potential difference-makers whose careers started elsewhere? That's not how Campbell operates. But kickers Chase Contreraz and Andrew Mevis come to mind. So do M.J. Anderson, Colby Reeder, La’Michael Pettway, and Dimitri Stanley, among others.

They were significant contributors, but mostly Campbell prefers developing players he recruits. This season, for instance, six freshmen started for an Iowa State team that has overcome adversity to win seven games. Players who perform the best during practice and games, they usually get the reps. Players who aren’t quite ready to play immediately? Most stay and try to improve. Some enter the portal.

“To be honest with you, the best players play,” Campbell said recently. “(The portal) goes zero to my thinking to who plays. If it’s not working out, then you should get in (the portal), and we do everything in our power to not put young people in there. We have a good success rate over the course of the last 4 to 5 years of retention rate.

“I’ve always been honest with our kids. I would rather play a kid too late than too early. I would rather be bluntly honest with our kids and let them know exactly where they stand in our program, and then try to help them if they are not where they want to be, and say ‘Here’s what you’ve got to do to get to where you want to go.’ I think our staff has always done a good job of that as well.”

So, yes, We Will can compete financially with schools Iowa State regularly plays – but only up to a certain point, as Blum pointed out.

But what that looks like? Maybe we'll find out in the weeks and months to come.

“I think (the transfer portal is) going to hit everybody in college football,” Campbell said. “I still think it’s about culturally keeping the right guys that are aligned with the team. If a young guy doesn’t feel like they want to stay the course, then you’d rather want to know right away, in my opinion, and help them navigate their journey.

“We’re not somebody that’s going to dip hugely into the transfer portal. I just don’t think that’s the answer for Iowa State football. If you find a couple of the right pieces, then great. But man, you look at this team − we’re so young. We’re way more interested in the growth and development of this football team.”

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State's We Will Collective is a factor during portal season