To use LSU as the example: Could Les Miles set up a department that reports to him comprised of about 10 former football players earning good salary (say 200k)? Job duties can be very miminal and possibly defined as mentors to the players. I'm assuming Miles would have to persuade the decision makers to add this to expenditures but let's ignore that part of it for now. The program could also have a 2-3 yr max so that it's designed to help players get on their feet (start a 401k, buy a house) and allow for a system that rewards players that stuck with the program for 4-5 yrs but were not NFL level.
Hell, I'll take that job. I am a former football player but not at LSU (High School) but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Mostly just wondering if it would be allowed per NCAA regulations. Obviously, it would help recruiting if your school had a program like this that rewarded recently graduated players. Or, let's say that any football player with 2+ Letters is eligible to get the easy job with 200k salary for a maximum of two years (immediately following their eligibility). Big programs like LSU could afford it and it would be a way of paying players (after the fact).
It's a good question. I'm no authority on NCAA rules or anything, but as far as I know, the NCAA has no jurisdiction on who a university can hire so long as the players no longer have eligibility.
I think the issue would come down to how it is tied into the football program. There are only a certain amount of "positions" that are allowed to comprise a "staff", or at least that is what I think the rule is.
The faculty at major universities have learned to put up with high coaching salaries because they understand that tight competition raises perceived values and because high earners get high salaries. There are some distinguished faculty making over 500K for the same reason . . . to keep opponents from stealing them away. But trying to hire what would essentially be 23-year-old graduate students at $200K salaries would fly like a lead balloon. With no duties except to be overpaid "mentors" to athletes? Not to mention finding about 3 million extra dollars with benefits. That would require another two home games to fund. And for what? To give a gravy job to someone who just received a free-ride education? For a job that brings in no income? LSU has extremely smart graduate students in the sciences that would like some of that action. Right now they make between $6K and $20K. And you have to figure that the NCAA would consider the existence of such positions to be an unfair recruiting advantage. Lead balloon.
Yeah, my question was more about the NCAA than whether LSU would pass such a thing. To use a different example, say North Carolina State started a program like this and it instantly vaulted their recruiting to #1. They start winning conference championships, which brings in more revenue than the program costs. I would guess the program could be set up in way that would not be part of NCAA oversight.
I like the idea if its legal but salaries of $2OOK are way too much. You could get qualified people to do it for a lot less.
