NIL has significantly changed the landscape of college athletics since its official introduction in July 2021. Penn State football, like everywhere else, has had to adjust accordingly. For better or worse, NIL is now a consideration in recruiting, the transfer portal, and current roster management. However, some, including Ohio State AD Gene Smith, believe that NIL has become uncontrollable and have been advocating for federal legislation on the issue. Testifying before Congress last week, Smith made the shocking claim that some recruits are requesting NIL payments in exchange for visiting college campuses. In his weekly press conference today, head coach James Franklin insinuated that Penn State has experienced the same circumstance.

Ohio State AD Gene Smith claims players ask for $5,000 for recruiting visits

Last week, Ohio State AD Gene Smith, along with representatives from the college sports world, testified before the House Committee on Small Business regarding the impact of NIL on college athletics. Smith’s testimony, which advocated for federal legislation policing NIL practices, broadly discussed the effect of the NCAA’s policy changes on Ohio State.

However, in one eyebrow-raising portion of the testimony, Smith claimed that prospects now request NIL payments in exchange for recruiting visits.

“…NIL implementation has not been without challenges,” Smith testified, in part. “When NIL was sanctioned by the NCAA, “bad actors” emerged, seeking personal gain from their ability to influence a young person and/or a family regarding an institution. This has always been a challenge, but NIL has allowed this behavior to be more aggressive. In professional sports, drafts preclude this issue, but the collegiate model relies upon recruiting, not drafting.”

“For example, student-athletes and their parents visit campuses at the expense of those universities to evaluate where they may make a commitment,” Smith continued. “A practice of asking a school for a fee to simply visit campus has emerged; asking for $5,000 just to visit has become common. During visits, discussions now emerge regarding how much a student-athlete can expect from NIL.”

Penn State football coach James Franklin comments on if recruits have requested NIL payments for visits

Today, Smith’s comments on Capitol Hill made their way to Happy Valley. During his weekly press conference ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Northwestern, James Franklin was asked if similar situations have arisen at Penn State.

“As you can probably imagine, it’s kind of like we had the discussion a few, maybe it was a year ago, when something came out from that school [Ohio State], as well, and they talked about a number, and you guys wanted to know if my number was similar, and I said, well, why would my number not be similar,” Franklin said. “People seemed shocked by that.”

Of course, Franklin’s response references comments from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day that a $13 million NIL payroll was needed to compete at an elite level in college football. While Franklin wouldn’t address the issue outright, the rest of his answer suggests that the issue is more commonplace in college athletics than many would expect.

“As you can imagine, the schools that you’re mentioning, we’re all dealing with the same challenges and issues,” Franklin continued. “We all are. So yeah, sometimes I think things are said publicly that maybe you guys weren’t aware of before. But yeah, we’re all dealing with the same challenges and issues because most of us are all recruiting the same guys. That’s about as far as I’ll get into that…”

On the field, Penn State football travels to Evanston, Illinois, this week to take on Northwestern.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

The Penn State football team has now gone three straight days a landing a commitment. Brady O’Hara has made his commitment to the Nittany Lions. He is a top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania. The 2025 class has added DJ McClary and Tiqwai Hayes in the past two days. Both players are part of Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class. The impact of the whiteout continues to prove its value on the recruiting trail.

Penn State football lands top 10 prospect in PA

Brady O’Hara is a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and he plays his high school football at North Catholic High School located in Pittsburgh, PA. He held offers from Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, and Penn State. Then, on Tuesday morning he announced his commitment to Penn State on his social media channels.

O’Hara is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania.

Brady O’Hara plays both sides of the ball

O’Hara is listed as an athlete on 247sports because he plays both tight end and defensive end. It will be interesting to see what position he will choose to play when he gets on campus. But after watching Tyler Warren and Chop Robinson on Saturday night either position would fit him well.

Either way, he has shown that he can be successful regardless of where he lines up on the field. He can be a great red zone target or a dominant defensive end. Both positions at Penn State have developed well over the years which helped their case land this top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

After a successful whiteout game where the Penn State football team handled its business, recruiting is picking back up. Yesterday, the Nittany Lions earned a commitment from Top 100 linebacker DJ McClary. Now, James Franklin and his coaching staff go back to back days landing a commitment. The 2025 recruiting class has just earned a new member, Tiqwai Hayes.

Penn State football earns commitment from 4-star RB from PA

Last week Tiqwai Hayes received a crystal ball predicting him to land at Penn State. Today, he made that prediction become reality as he made his commitment to the Penn State football team. Hayes is a four-star prospect from Aliquippa, PA in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247sports. He attends Aliquippa High School where he has made an outstanding name for himself.

Tiqwai Hayes chose Penn State over Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and several other schools. His nickname is “Tikey” according to his Twitter/X profile and he rushed for 2,011 yards and 33 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022.

Penn State currently has the 9th-best class in the 2025 recruiting cycle. With the addition of Hayes that should increase the Nittany Lions’ position. He will join KiAndrea Barker as the other running back commitment in this class, a theme we have seen for years. Ja’Juan Seider likes to have a pair of running backs in each cycle and he has done that yet again. In 2022 it was Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Then, in 2023 it was London Montgomery and Cam Wallace. Currently, in 2024 it’s Quinton Martin and Corey Smith. Now, in 2025 it’s KiAndrea Barker and Tiqwai Hayes.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!