Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy does not like the best way school soccer is heading, and it has nothing to do with the Cowboys’ two straight losses to ranked opponents.
It is a big-picture factor; with that mindset, it is laborious to argue with Gundy. Growth has worn out conferences — RIP Pac-12 — and the introduction of NIL has made it so gamers may be promised thousands and thousands of {dollars} earlier than they even step foot on campus (if this system finally ends up paying out). Not solely that, however the switch portal has been kicked wide-open, making every offseason really feel an increasing number of like NFL free company than student-athletes making necessary school choices.
It is a mess, and Gundy thinks somebody must be there to supervise all of it.
“It’s a easy course of. Faculty soccer wants a commissioner,” Gundy mentioned in a recent news conference (h/t On3). “And if it’s one of many 4 guys, now, if it’s the man at SEC commissioner, I don’t care, we want a commissioner. After which we want the Energy 4, Energy 5 if we return to it. These commissioners are below them. After which we want a soccer oversight guidelines committee that’s going to implement the no matter guidelines that we are saying there are whether or not that’s recruiting, NIL, wage cap, employment agreements, transfers, no matter these guidelines are, and they should comply with the NFL mannequin.”
Saying that the NFL is the mannequin school soccer ought to comply with will upset purists, nevertheless it has all the time been an enormous enterprise. The one factor that is totally different is that each one the cash being exchanged is out within the open, now.
Nonetheless, Gundy is true, there must be some sort of technique to oversee every little thing and hold the game from devolving into chaos. Who would do it?
One choice can be the just lately retired Nick Saban, per Gundy. North Carolina’s Mack Brown, a legendary longtime coach who remains to be getting after it, can be another choice.
“You recognize, Coach Brown in North Carolina when he retires, Coach Saban, that’s your soccer commissioner. That’s Roger Goodell for us, for my part. As a result of he is aware of what he’s doing, he will get it,” Gundy mentioned.
With out query, both man Gundy talked about can be an ideal school soccer commissioner. Whether or not Saban or Brown, for that matter, would need the job and the stressors that might come together with it’s one other query completely, although.
