Clayton Powell-Lee: Tech Man

Hmmm ... I don't know.
If UVa had taken more credit hours, he was probably long gone. Looks like we got lucky that UVa's entrance policies are even more f'd up than Ma Tech's. That was our saving grace. There's no evidence, direct or anecdotal, that he stayed because of a fealty to Key or a belief in how great a season we're going to have. Even after forging a bond with the new DBs, he was still weighing the UVa offer and went to Key to see if Tech could match it. We really couldn't, but his desire to finish this academic year tipped the scales in Tech's balance.

NIL and the portal blew up the system. And the shrapnel is hitting everybody on a continual basis.
UVA has never been perceived as an elite evaluator of safeties. If money was his main issue somebody else would have matched the offer.

I am just glad that one guy somewhere, anywhere, actually still puts some value on actually getting a degree.

In all of the couple thousand portal movements this year, how many guys will mention ANYTHING WHATSOEVER about anything to do with academics?
 
I wish more kids took CPL's approach. Sometimes it's about the bigger picture and not just about $. One thing he touched on that most of these NIL chasing players are considering is graduation. He wanted to graduate, and on time.
 
Probably helps that CPL's father knows how all this works and can fill him in that agents aren't exactly acting in the best interest of their client.
 
We gotta calm down on this "chasing the money" bullshit. Are any of you not chasing the money? Do you just enjoy your engineering or tech jobs that you do it for free? Let's settle down here. The game has changed. Embrace it or don't, but it ain't going back.
I've known a lot of people that have chased the bigger engineering/tech paycheck and came away regretting it. Not saying any of these guys should do it for free anymore, but the grass is not always greener.
 
I agree with most of what you say.

I did consider a comparison with a, say, a biomedical engineer or stte, and they make some discovery which will lead to millions in profits, but the company they work for get the IP rights.

But most cases of employment there is not a direct comparison.
A lot of people start their own company with their knowledge in such situations.
 
Meh, what if uva would accept all of his credits? Color me not impressed that he stayed. He still has no loyalty to GT. That was always the draw of college athletics… fans love their school and care about players who also love their school. Those kids are petty rare nowadays. Maybe they always were. Regardless, I continue to care less and less about college athletics.

I’m ready for NIL payments to be public though, so we can see for real what we’re dealing with here.

Obviously, the agents are slimy but that’s nothing revolutionary.
 
Meh, what if uva would accept all of his credits? Color me not impressed that he stayed. He still has no loyalty to GT.
Disagree. I am impressed with his thoughtful consideration of his NIL opportunity, GT and his decision to enjoy his senior season on the flats.
And he brings the heat on D.
 
Meh, what if uva would accept all of his credits? Color me not impressed that he stayed. He still has no loyalty to GT. That was always the draw of college athletics… fans love their school and care about players who also love their school. Those kids are petty rare nowadays. Maybe they always were. Regardless, I continue to care less and less about college athletics.

I’m ready for NIL payments to be public though, so we can see for real what we’re dealing with here.

Obviously, the agents are slimy but that’s nothing revolutionary.
Getting a degree still mattered though, now compare that to the population he is in.
 
Meh, what if uva would accept all of his credits? Color me not impressed that he stayed. He still has no loyalty to GT. That was always the draw of college athletics… fans love their school and care about players who also love their school. Those kids are petty rare nowadays. Maybe they always were. Regardless, I continue to care less and less about college athletics.

I’m ready for NIL payments to be public though, so we can see for real what we’re dealing with here.

Obviously, the agents are slimy but that’s nothing revolutionary.
So as long as you were ignorant of dealings you were enthusiastic. Once you become enlightened you become apathetic.
 
I get no less than 10-15 recruiting texts, calls, emails every week for similar jobs all around the country with less call, more time off, and substantially more pay than I make now. But it’s not worth it to me to uproot my family, move away from both our parents and immediate families, to chase more money. Maybe I’d be able to retire a few earlier but not worth it for me. I don’t knock anyone who chases that, but not valuable to me.
For every 1 like you, there's probably 9 who aren't. That's a compliment. I'd imagine that ratio would be more skewed with high school athletes. If it's anything like our high school years, we chased everything else. Money would just be something else to chase for many of them.
 
So as long as you were ignorant of dealings you were enthusiastic. Once you become enlightened you become apathetic.
I was never ignorant of the dealings but let's not pretend the dealings were anywhere close to as widespread. We all detested the dealings and despised the programs that dealt in the dealings and crowed about how our school didn't deal in the dealings. I still despise the dealings but now everybody is forced to do the dealings and the players are still less loyal despite their deals. It's all we really ever hear about. So yes, I grow more and more apathetic.
 
What's the dealio with the dealings? The dealers, well, we all know about how they dilly dally around making promises - what's the deal with that? Not sure we should really be making a big deal out of it tho... unless we get a crap deal. I guess we gotta just deal with it.
 
For every 1 like you, there's probably 9 who aren't. That's a compliment. I'd imagine that ratio would be more skewed with high school athletes. If it's anything like our high school years, we chased everything else. Money would just be something else to chase for many of them.
Fair. Everyone has their own goals and priorities, and these change with age I’m sure. I don’t judge other peoples’ personal ambitions and value systems.
(I got two text messages yesterday, and one phone call today already. I am not special, but am in a profession that has a huge shortage and is in demand)
 
We gotta calm down on this "chasing the money" bullshit. Are any of you not chasing the money? Do you just enjoy your engineering or tech jobs that you do it for free? Let's settle down here. The game has changed. Embrace it or don't, but it ain't going back.
It's different for college football. He has 1 more year to play in college before he goes to the draft. He's already making at least $100k playing football (probably much more). He's got a new DC that is known as one of the top DB coaches this year. He's part of a team that he's basically helped build from his first games back in 2022 when gc got kicked out. To give up all that for some money that's going to seem like pocket change to him in a few years is just wild to me.
 
Fair. Everyone has their own goals and priorities, and these change with age I’m sure. I don’t judge other peoples’ personal ambitions and value systems.
(I got two text messages yesterday, and one phone call today already. I am not special, but am in a profession that has a huge shortage and is in demand)

What profession is that? I feel like I'm in that Langoliers movie - AI eating everything around me but I'm still here at the moment..

I had a number of life experiences that taught me what money can and can't do, so like you money doesn't have that kind of hold on me.
 
Probably helps that CPL's father knows how all this works and can fill him in that agents aren't exactly acting in the best interest of their client.
It’s weird to me how dad was never even mentioned as having anything to say in the story.
 
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