someone who spent some time on the big donor trip a few months ago. Apparently there are a lot of people who want to throw big money into a pot specifically for NIL to help BYU compete in recruiting. But ultimately the brethren simply do not love the concept of NIL, which everyone is already aware of or could have guessed as much. But I also heard that Tom Holmoe is very cautious to pay recruits big time money. One donor specifically asked something to the effect of "What if I want to donate a large amount to help with NIL/recruiting?" And Holmoe's answer was something to the effect of "We're taking a careful approach." In my mind, that is no doubt coming directly from the BOT.

Apparently a lot of NIL deals for BYU are in the $15-$50k range (according to my conversation, but he could be mistaken on that specific point). But what BYU has been trying to do is set up executive mentorship programs for recruits. For instance, you set up regular meetings for recruits to meet 1on1 with CEOs and other executives at local tech companies or other businesses. Sounds like a pretty cool idea, except for the fact that any big recruit has their sights set on the NFL. So mentorship from a business executive doesn't sound nearly as enticing as it would to a typical student, especially since many of the big recruits/transfers have several hundred thousand dollar deals thrown at them.

Again, this is not breaking news, but rather just another testimony of the truthfulness of the rumblings we all hear. BYU has plenty of people willing to donate large sums of money to allow BYU to compete in NIL. BYU is what is stopping BYU from doing so.