TrueNU trying to get back on track to help NU compete in transfer market

David Braun did a miraculous job with the Northwestern this season as the interim coach. He was rewarded with a five-year contract to become the school’s permanent head coach, as well as the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award.

TrueNU executive director Jacob Schmidt called Braun’s hiring a “best-case scenario” for a football program that was in disarray in July. He also thinks it is a best-case scenario for TrueNU, Northwestern’s NIL collective, which experienced adversity in its mission to support Wildcat student-athletes.

The embarrassing hazing scandal and the sudden firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald nearly five months ago made fundraising very challenging. Donors were not happy with Northwestern, says Schmidt.

“People were angry about the way they handled Fitz’s firing, myself included,” said Schmidt. “Regardless of whether you disliked how NU handled the situation or you disliked the idea that the allegations could be true, you were mad. That made our jobs very difficult.”

Because of the hostile environment, TrueNU essentially suspended fundraising operations for “10 to 12 weeks,” says Schmidt. The organization continued to sponsor events with athletes to enable them to earn money, but they didn’t ask for money from donors.

As a result, the organization is forecasted to miss its Year 1 goal of raising $3 million by a substantial margin. But Schmidt is optimistic that they will finish December strong, and thankful for the positivity surrounding both the football and basketball programs right now.

But, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Northwestern athletic department numbers were down across the board this season, from donations to the Wildcat Fund to ticket sales, according to Schmidt. People voiced their displeasure with their wallets or their absence.

Attendance, always a challenge at Northwestern, was abysmal this season and reflective of a disillusioned fan base. In six games at Ryan Field, the Wildcats averaged just 20,800 fans per game. Add to the total the Wrigley Field game, which drew 38,000 but was a de facto home game for Iowa, and the average jumps to 23,257. According to HailToPurple.com, that’s still the lowest average attendance for Northwestern since 1980, which was Year 2 of the Wildcats’ all-time Division I-record 34-game losing streak.

But those numbers represent ticket sales. As anyone who was at any Wildcat games this year will tell you, the number of fans in the stands was often lower. Much, much lower. For example, for the Maryland game on Oct. 28, the official attendance figure in the box score is 19,286. In terms of butts in seats, however, a source said the actual number was about a third of that, well under 10,000. That's a decent figure for a Division III game but downright embarrassing for a Big Ten contest.

That’s why Braun’s sensational turnaround was so vital, and why Schmidt calls this entire season a best-case scenario. Not only did he hold the locker room together enough to defy all expectations, he also gave Northwestern fans a coach and a program to believe in again.

“[Braun] and the players needed a special campaign, they needed to win,” said Schmidt. “If not, it would have put a lot of pressure on the program. It would have been another s**t storm. There would have been a lot of transfers. It would have been a 10-year rebuild.”

But now, there’s a different kind of rebuild going on. Or, rather, a build. Schmidt and TrueNU are trying to get their fundraising numbers back on track. Timing is of the essence.

The early transfer portal window just opened on Monday. Northwestern, as Braun mentioned several times during the season, had just 103 players on the roster this season, 17 short of the NCAA limit. They have to add players. Some will be high school recruits, and the Class of 2024 currently stands at 12 commits. But more will likely come from the transfer portal, and NIL is usually a key part of the selection process for transfer players.

Northwestern faces several challenges attracting players from the transfer portal, admissions restrictions foremost among them. But the prices for landing transfer portal players is getting steeper, too, which is why Schmidt and TrueNU need to raise funds quickly.

Nebraska head coach Matt Ruhle made headlines last week when he said that the going rate for a quarterback in the portal was $1-$2 million. Some signal callers might command that price, but the average numbers across college football, while still expensive, are substantially lower.

StudentAthleteNIL.com recently released NIL data from their 36 college clients. They say the average transfer portal roster value for a top 25 quarterback (per PFF grades) was $350,000. For a QB ranked 25-50, the average is $250,000; for 50-100, it’s $200,000; and 100-150 it’s $100,000. A QB ranked from 200-300 QB can be had for just $25,000.

The study broke values down by position. For a top 25 wide receiver, the value is $250,000; for an offensive lineman, it’s $175,000, and for a tight end it's $100,000. Those numbers might pale in comparison to the NFL, but they represent pretty good money for 19- to 23-year-old college students.

It’s important to remember that this is an average; a running back who transfers to Alabama will make more than one making a move to Rutgers. Also understand that Northwestern is a by-the-book organization and won’t offer any players a salary up front, according to Schmidt. Pay-for-play is against the rules. But the Wildcats will present to prospective players what their current players earn in NIL, and Schmidt says it’s important for those numbers to be competitive.

TrueNU is also just a part of the whole package for Wildcats players, who can also broker their own deals with private companies, or through agents.

Schmidt says that Northwestern needs to raise around $3 million annually to compete with its peer group in football in the Big Ten, programs like Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. They will need even more to support all 19 Northwestern varsity sports in a meaningful way.

"We need to do everything we can to support our athletes through NIL opportunities," said Schmidt. "The positivity and momentum behind football right now is exciting, and I hope it helps everyone get behind our efforts Everybody is excited about what football is doing, and we hope that they get behind us.”

His message to the Northwestern community is simple: “We need your help.”

Up next: Can Northwestern be one of the "haves" in NCAA president Charlie Baker’s new elite FBS subdivision?