"You'd have to catch me off the record to answer that question. The implication was clear: Now that every school can pay players -- either through direct revenue share or name, image and likeness dollars -- Big Ten schools are no longer disadvantaged in recruiting by everything from booster bag men to shoe company AAU connections."
"I think now that the playing field has been leveled out as far as finances and things like that, the environments in the Big Ten are second to none. It's more than just legalized cheating, if you will."
"For decades, league schools seemed to battle each other over many of the same Midwestern recruits -- effectively kneecapping each other over a point guard from Flint or a swingman from Indiana. In the end, many of the very best went to other conferences, anyway."
Recent changes in college athletics compensation rules have benefited Big Ten schools, allowing them to compete more effectively in recruiting. Coach Dusty May noted that the financial landscape has shifted, enabling schools to attract top talent without the previous disadvantages. The Big Ten has seen success in football and is poised to break a long-standing drought in men's basketball. The new financial environment allows for diverse roster construction strategies, moving away from past competition over the same regional recruits.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]