Great Osobor Transferring To Washington With Over $2 Million In NIL Deals Waiting For Him?
The whole ‘pay-for-play’ model in college sports isn't happening right? Yea, you can continue to believe whatever you'd like, but for former Utah State center Great Osobor, he's putting that narrative to bed in a reported massive way.
Great Osobor is certainly getting paid with his transfer to Washington, as one of the best players in the transfer portal has committed to play basketball for the Huskies in what might be the largest NIL deal for a college basketball player.
According to ESPN, George Landberg of GSL Sports Group has negotiated a $2 million deal for the transfer, as he leaves the Mountain West Conference for the Big Ten. The NIL opportunities presented to Osobor will have him making millions of dollars in what has become the new norm in collegiate sports. Now, it's up to you on whether or not the center who averaged 17.7 points per game last season is actually the highest paid athlete in college basketball.
I do find it a bit skeptical that a center who played for Utah State last season is going to be the highest paid NIL athlete in the sport. The folks negotiating these deals want it to be known that their clients are allegedly making this type of money, as it helps attract more clients. ESPN has said that they have reviewed a document pertaining to his NIL valuation and it's the highest-known deal in college basketball.
![Great Osobor reportedly signed a $2 million NIL deal with transfer to Washington](http://images.outkick.com/static.outkick.com/www.outkick.com/content/uploads/2024/05/668/376/GettyImages-2105784995.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Great Osobor reportedly signed a $2 million NIL deal with transfer to Washington (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
But either way you slice it, this is a massive move for the Huskies being able to secure Osobor, while also getting the promotion of having a player on their roster making more than $2 million for one season.
"I would like to thank God for putting me in this position," Osobor said in a statement to ESPN. "Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I came from England, and I cannot wait to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA Tournament."
Danny Sprinkle was named the new head coach at Washington, and coached Osobor at Utah State, while also recruiting him while he played at Montana State during his first two seasons of college basketball.
There's no doubt that Osobor will help the Huskies this season. But getting $2 million to play for one season in the Big Ten feels like fools gold. I will be curious to see how this all unfolds, including his NIL deals at Washington over the next year.
If the monetary sum is accurate, there are a bunch of pissed-off, high-profile basketball players around the country wondering why their checks aren't the same. If you want to see a case of overspending for a student athlete, this would be the perfect case study.