Days after Penn State’s hopes for a national championship were dashed by a series of questionable play calls and lack of execution, the topic of conversation at a church social gathering was predictable. While second-guessing is nearly 100% accurate, the Nittany Lion fans present never-the-less vented their feelings and disappointment over Notre Dame’s 27-24 win in the Orange Bowl national semi-final.
Joining the conversation late, one parishioner seemed to sum up the consensus feeling by stating, “Who cares? I’m not even going to watch the game. I wish there was a way both those teams could lose the game.”
I have no way of knowing, but I am assuming the Fighting Irish had more local fans cheering them on than the PSU-hated Buckeyes. Either way, the results of that game are now history, as Ohio State or Notre Dame are still celebrating Monday’s national championship victory.
As the road to the National Championship game played out, I recall a comment made by one of the TV talking heads referencing Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, now in his third year at the helm, by stating, “Marcus Freeman has made some of the Notre Dame haters begin to cheer for the Irish.”
Often looked upon as one of the privileged elite of college football, following former coach Brian Kelly’s departure, looking for greener pastures at LSU, Freeman’s expertise and likable style have been able to return the program to its championship pedigree — where the Irish have found a considerable amount of success against ranked opponents.
But for me, Freeman’s true class and professionalism shined brightly moments after the Penn State win when confronted by ESPN sideline reporter Molly McGrath. After the highlight win of his young coaching career, of all the questions that could have been asked, McGrath told Freeman: “You are the first black head coach to go to a National Championship game in college football. How much does that mean to you?”
She could just as easily have asked the race-baited question relating to his Asian heritage, of which he is both.
Having little reaction to those words, Freeman calmly responded: “I’ve said this before: I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team. It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, White, it doesn’t matter; great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. This ain’t about me; this is about us, and we’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s something special.”
Social media erupted over McGrath’s question, with one person writing: “What a weird question, why make it about race at this moment? He was clearly uncomfortable. Why does ESPN try to make everything about race or gender?”
Freeman stood tall in the moment and had every reason to be proud of what he had built at Notre Dame as he led his team up against his alma mater in the National championship game.
While coaching character is to be applauded, it has been well-documented how the college game has changed in recent years with the advent of NIL (name, image, likeness) and the transfer portal. Coming off its Orange Bowl win, Notre Dame has increased its college football payout to $20 million and has among its ranks some high-priced talent that includes offensive tackle Joe Alt ($870,000), cornerback Benjamin Morrison ($526,000) and quarterback Riley Leonard ($100,000).
Ohio State has also spread the wealth and spent “Around $20 million” to football players, according to athletic director Ross Bjork. Defensive end J.T. Tuimolan is among the highest paid at $320,000.
Research indicates the top ten highest paid NIL college football players include: Shedeur Sanders, Colorado QB, $6.1 million; Travis Hunter, Colorado, Heisman Trophy winner wide receiver/cornerback, $3.3 million; Arch Manning, Texas QB, $3.1 million; Jalen Milroe, Alabama QB, $2.2 million; Quinn Ewers, Texas QB, $2 million; Cam Ward, Miami QB, $2 million; Dillion Gabriel, Oregon QB, $2 million; Carson Beck, Georgia QB (now transferred to Miami), $1.8 million; Ryan Williams, Alabama wide receiver, $1.7 million; and Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB, $1.7 million.
Those players’ NIL payouts pale in comparison to the game’s top-paid coaches. That list includes: Kirby Smart, Georgia, $13,282,580; Dabo Sweeney, Clemson $11,132,775; Steve Sarkision, Texas, $10,600,000; Lincoln Riley, USC, $10.043,418; Ryan Day, Ohio State, $10,021,250; Mike Norwell, Florida State, $10,000,000; Kalen DeBoer, Alabama, $10,000,000; Brian Kelly, LSU, $9,975,000; Mark Stoops, Kentucky, $9,013,600; and Josh Heupel, Tennessee, $9,000,000.
Don’t feel sorry for PSU’s James Franklin. He ranks 13th on the money coaching train at $8,500,000, with a bunch of bonus money thrown in.
While specific numbers could not be collaborated, Penn State is working the NIL circuit. Omar Easy, a former PSU and Kansas City Chief player, is now the director of the PSU Brand Academy, established in 2023. It is an initiative created that seeks to offer a transformational companion to the financial transactions players conduct by teaching athletes how to navigate the NIL properly.
Seems the famous line from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. “Show me the money” was way ahead of its time!
