NIL Problems: Colorado State's Jay Norvell Tries To Keep Roster Intact While QB Has $600K Offer To Leave

Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell is trying to prevent his team from turning into a farm system for bigger schools. Part of the job in keeping his roster intact comes with players willing to stay, especially when the starting quarterback is offered $600,000 in NIL funds to leave.

This has become the new norm for teams like Colorado State, which are seeing opposing schools come after their top talent. In the new age of NIL, rosters from smaller schools are being raided by Power-Five schools.

Right now, all that these coaches like Jay Norvell can do is hope that players receiving offers choose to stay. But, money talks and so does playing for a team good enough to fight for a national title on a yearly basis.

“Our top 12 players on our team have all had offers to go other places,” Norvell told The Coloradoan. “It’s really frustrating for me as a guy that’s been in this business for over 30 years to really see the misinformation that kids are getting and really the poor decision-making that’s coming of it.”

One of those players who have been targeted by collectives from opposing schools is quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. The going rate for some high-profile quarterbacks usually start around $1 million and can be as lucrative as $4 to $5 million.

For Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, turning down $600,000 is not seen a lot around college football right now. We've seen players look to the portal for a quick payday, knowing a future in the NFL is not guaranteed.

Colorado State, Jay Norvell Trying Not To Become A Farm System

If a school like Colorado State is going to have some type of sustained success, retaining players is key to this game plan. It's certainly not easy to keep every player on the roster who is successful, but the bigger problem is still being competitive yearly.

Obviously it's not just starting quarterbacks being poached, there are numerous positions on the Colorado State roster that stand out to opposing schools. Jay Norvell also noted that receiver Tory Horton received an offer in the six-figures to leave.

"We want to recruit great high school players that are tough and athletic and that love CSU," Jay Norvell noted. "We just want to have a chance to keep them. We don’t want to be a farm system for the SEC or the Big 12. That’s what’s happening right now. Those leagues are trying to cherry-pick our best players, and we’re trying our best to keep them in Fort Collins.”

The reality is that some of these players are also choosing to attend a group of five schools so that they can build themselves up into a hot commodity. On the other side of the equation, Colorado State is doing the heavy work by developing these players, only to see bigger schools come in and rent them for a season, or two.

Some of these schools will have to continue holding-off bigger programs for another two weeks until the transfer portal closes. Unfortunately, coaches like Jay Norvell will have to deal with NIL again once the Spring period begins.