Ohio State AD Says Recruits Are Demanding Money To Simply Visit Campus In NIL Era

Potential Ohio State recruits are demanding a solid amount of cash to simply visit Columbus.

The debate around NIL and how much money is flowing through major college athletics has become a focal point, and there is momentum at the federal level to regulate it.

While there's nothing set in stone yet, it appears there's growing support to dial back the wild west atmosphere NIL currently enjoys.

Ohio State AD Gene Smith claims recruits want to be paid big money to visit campus. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Ohio State AD Gene Smith says recruits want to be paid for visits.

A story from Ohio State AD Gene Smith perfectly encapsulates the current state of the situation when it comes to athletes being paid.

They don't want to get paid after signing with a school or putting up huge numbers. They want to be paid to simply visit.

"A practice of asking a school for a fee to simply visit campus has emerged; asking for $5,000 just to visit has become common. During visits, discussions now emerge regarding how much a student-athlete can expect from NIL," Smith wrote in testimony for a Wednesday hearing before the House Committee on Small Business, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio State AD Gene Smith says recruits want $5,000 to visit campus. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Has NIL gone way too far?

NIL was meant to allow players to profit from their name, image and likeness. In theory, it was designed for players to do ad deals, sell autographs and be paid to make appearances.

That's not what's happening at the highest levels of college football and basketball. Players are being handed bags of cash in return for little to nothing.

Has NIL gone way too far? (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Tennessee QB Nico Lamaleava reportedly secured an NIL deal worth $8 million before playing a single snap of college football. That's absolutely not what NIL was intended to be.

Recruits demanding money to simply visit a campus is next level insane. Money should be exchanged for a service or the expectation of a service that will eventually be provided.

Who do these recruits think they are to be demanding the price of a used car to simply visit campus? It reeks of entitlement.

Ohio State AD Gene Smith reacts to the current state of NIL in college athletics. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

However, it won't change as long as schools continue to pay it, which we all know they will. Welcome to the era of NIL. It's truly the wild west, and there's no other way to put it.