Head coach Dave Aranda has been open about the shortcomings of Baylor’s recruiting, citing a failure to aggressively pursue players in the transfer portal and highlighting an increased commitment to name, image and likeness (NIL) benefits next season.
After a successful offseason that saw a number of high-profile transfers and recruits commit to Baylor, Aranda was asked what led to the hot streak during Big 12 Media Days.
“We’re paying players,” Aranda said during an interview with Sic’Em 365.
Soon after, assistant coaches wore t-shirts with, “We Pay Players,” across the chest during multiple training camp practices. This offseason, the Bears made their choice not to shy away from the new era of college athletics, but to embrace it.
Under the latest ruling in the House v. NCAA court case, schools are now explicitly permitted to pay their players. The days of shady recruitment practices, under the table deals, and tip-toeing around the subject are over. Student athletes could already receive compensation from sponsorships with their name, image and likeness, but can now be paid directly by schools.
The arguments around this concept have been raging for decades. After all, student athletes are devoting massive amounts of their time weekly to these sports, in addition to maintaining their studies. Finding a job while juggling that schedule would be impossible. Meanwhile, the schools’ programs are raking in revenue from the player’s performances, ticket sales and marketing.
Opponents, or self-proclaimed “purists,” argue that this defies the nature of college athletics being fundamentally amateur. In their eyes, college sports should be about student athletes competing against each other, not serving as a minor league for professional sports organizations.
The floodgates of player compensation have opened, and so have the purses of donors across the country. Colorado junior wide receiver Travis Hunter, Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning and Ole Miss senior quarterback Jaxson Dart earn millions in NIL deals.
Coach Aranda’s mantra since arriving at Baylor has been “person over player.” Of course, the quality of play is important, but the priority of the program is character development.
This philosophy isn’t going away— Aranda has made it clear that the standards of character are as high as the standards of performance on the field. The fact that they’re paying players doesn’t mean they expect less, but simply that they can offer more. Compensation for student athletes was an inevitability, and in the evolving world of competitive recruiting, Baylor has decided to adapt to survive.
