Broke & Ugly Yet Again: The Illinois Edition

Bret Bielema took to twitter to vent his frustrations with ECU transfer center Avery Jones switching his commitment from Illinois to Auburn. The snapback from the Auburn fanbase has been swift and enjoyable.

The NCAA transfer portal and legalization of NIL compensation for college athletes has changed college football dramatically. Bret Bielema noted as much on twitter, but he probably should have chosen a much better moment and set of circumstances to do it. A podcast, maybe? In front of the media after National Signing Day in February when somebody asks him his thoughts on the matter? Maybe even at a coaches clinic or conference? All would be great opportunities for his opinion on how recruiting is drastically changing in college football.

Instead, he chose to opine on the matter directly to Avery Jones, East Carolina center transfer and former Illinois commit, after Jones had committed to and signed with Auburn.

The flip was quick, according to Jones in an AuburnLive.com article written by Keith Niebuhr. The speed of the change of heart brought many to conclude the same thing that Bret Bielema had: NIL opportunity had a direct impact on Avery Jones’ decision to flip his commitment. But with Auburn being in a better conference with more primetime games, playing more marquee matchups, and with better football accommodations, it’s fair to question whether or not NIL was the biggest factor in Jones’ defection from Illinois.

Hey Bret…check it out…you weren’t successful in the SEC already one time around. You should know how this goes. We get the good players down here, bro.

– Ike on The Morning Drop

College football recruitment has always been a dirty game, but this is nothing new to coaches. With Bielema’s experience in the SEC, he’s certainly no stranger to how recruiting works down here. So why would he step on Avery Jones’ commitment announcement? Is Jones that pivotal a loss? And how much does his commitment affect Auburn’s projected O-line lineup?

You can watch The Morning Drop on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings on The War Rapport’s YouTube channel.