Florida Basketball: 20 day commitment shows realities of modern recruiting

On June 10, Florida basketball got some great news as four-star center John Bol announced his commitment to the Gators. The 7’1″ prospect is listed as one of the top 30 prospects in the country.

On June 30, John Bol decommited from the Florida Gators, and it highlights the new normal in the world of college recruiting.

Florida Basketball: 20-Day Fiance

According to 247 Sports, elements of Bol’s NIL deal couldn’t be agreed upon over the last 20 days, and it led to Bol pulling his commitment from the Gators.

It is a 180 from when Bol told 247 after he committed to Florida:

"“It’s a good program and it’s a really good fit for me. Ultimately my goal is to make it the NBA and I feel like me being at Florida is the best fit for me. The SEC, how they play there, the style of play is one that I feel like if I go there, I will be successful and ultimately make my goal.”"

We’ve seen this story play out on the football side. Recruits praise Florida as a program and say the school has everything in place to help prospects achieve their ultimate endgame, but when it comes time to collect their paycheck, “Well, you see, we really like what Florida had to offer, but you know…”

To be clear, this isn’t a slight against athletes who want to get paid. Todd Golden has a contract that pays him $3 million a year. 

That’s $187,500 per win last season for those keeping track.

But part of why the college system feels unsustainable is because of situations like this 20-day commitment. Athletes “commit” to one school while, how do we say this, individuals connected with the athlete have continued talks with other schools trying to maximize how much money they can make.

The NFL and NBA are more sustainable, despite some flaws, because once an athlete signs a contract, they are locked in for the length of the deal. Sure, they can hold out for more money, but nine times out of ten, those holdouts go nowhere, and at the end of the day, the team still controls their rights.

So if an athlete wants to be on themself, they sign a one-year deal. If an athlete wants stability, they sign a longer deal.

But the current NCAA model has literally every athlete on one-year deals, and that’s if they even make it to campus in the first place.

It’s back to the drawing board for Florida basketball. Such is life in 2023 recruiting.