Cars, jets, 7-figure contracts, and a sauna: Inside the insane demands from top college football recruits

TL;DR

Top college football recruits are making extravagant demands, including seven-figure contracts and even personal saunas. The NIL era has significantly changed the landscape of college athletics, leading to increased expectations from recruits.

Key points

Top recruits are demanding seven-figure contracts.
Some recruits request personal saunas at their homes.
The NIL era has changed college athletics significantly.

Cars, jets, 7-figure contracts, and a sauna: Inside the insane demands from top college football recruits originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NIL era has caused tremendous growth in college athletics. From the players' perspective, this should've been established decades ago. Unfortunately, we're now hitting the greed streak of the market. One thing is certain: the current landscape is going to produce one of the best 30 for 30 productions to date.

If there's any indication of what might be featured, a new report from On3's Pete Nakos provided a sample size of what high school recruits are demanding during the process of making their college commitment.

Some want a guaranteed seven-figure offer, others are asking for massive multi-year deals. Believe it or not, one prospect even asked for a sauna to be built at his parents’ house because the nearest one was 30 minutes away, according to Nakos.

Not to mention, the use of cars and private jets are still part of the equation as well. Where we’re at in college football is the "Wild Wild West." There's no development or taking steps to earn anything anymore. If you want a top recruit, pay the toll or find another player.

"Quarterback, offensive tackle, EDGE and cornerback remain the “money” positions in high school recruiting. One SEC program told On3 they’ve set aside $7 to $10 million for their 2027 class, but that is “not in the top echelon.”

More:Ohio State rolling out red turf at Horseshoe? Viral social media post dupes Buckeyes

“It’s a way bigger headache,” a Big Ten general manager told Nakos. “The agent conversations have started earlier, and you're trying to figure out how to allocate time and resources."

At this rate, middle schoolers are going to want six-figures just for "commitment rights" with a reevaluation period when they finally get to high school.