"Duke discount"

[RunninRichie]

Anyone see this article about NIL and Duke?

College basketball's NIL arms race, from $5M to $25M+: Breaking down roster values, spending tiers for 2026-27

CBS Sports contacted more than 100 sources to discover how much each power-conference hoops program invested this season

www.cbssports.com

For those who think Duke is No. 1 or 2 in player spending, a twist: Jon Scheyer's program obviously pays extremely well, but it's not at the top of the pyramid. (We know, we know: Some of you will scream this isn't true.) Duke benefits from something increasingly referred to as the "Duke Discount," a catchphrase many believe is legitimate, while some others roll their eyes. The Blue Devils offer a brand/marketing setup that's 1-of-1 in college basketball. Multiple programs that had to recruit against Duke either for blue-chip high school players or high-end transfers in the past couple of years admitted, on background, that they lost out on those players despite offering a substantially higher number than they were told the player took to go to Duke.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Don’t believe it. They spend more by a mile than anyone. It’s not close.

 

[Cats4321]

They are likely the top spenders, but I don't doubt they are able to leverage their brand to help get players. You'd think we could also get a discount...since we are also a huge basketball brand. Guess not though.

 

[WeWant9]

Duke does an amazing job of controlling their own narrative. I take it as Duke might not offer as much money upfront, but they’re basically telling guys they’ll make a boatload through other sponsors/endorsements during the year.

 

[BoneToPick]

The same people were telling us Duke was the only team not paying players back in the day. Then we see the stuff come out about Jason Williams getting a bag. We see how Nike was paying players to go to the school long before NIL. Taking anything I hear about this program with a huge grain of salt.

 

[Snarks]

Must be nice to have all that within the organization, meanwhile we can’t even hire a GM

 

[ScWildcat3]

The article contradicts itself. They take a “Duke Discount” but that comes with more nil deals because of where they are. Makes zero sense.

 

[dckala2_]

They (dukes dark pool money) have done everything they can to keep the heart beating after K. As a college basketball fan, it’s impressive.

there have long been rumors about scheyer and golden having nba ambitions. Regardless of what season either have I think both might be moving on from college eventually.

scheyer has had everything he could ask for and golden has had a generational college player in Clayton and almost 4 years of unreal roster continuity.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Ok so they dont pay them $1mil directly. But they offer first class services (from departments of people putting in the work) to get them the $1mil through advertising and marketing channels?

Its the same thing lol.

 

[loublue22_rivals308424]

They are deeply ingrained in Team USA for obvious reasons, this gives them influence over the highest level prospects that no one else has.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

Duke, pure as the driven snow slush.

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

Don’t believe it. They spend more by a mile than anyone. It’s not close.

They are parsing words. Does Duke pay the most? No. Do Duke players get paid the most? Absolutely yes by a mile.

The difference is the money doesn't come directly from duke, so they get to claim they dont pay. If anyone remembers the yahoo article about three years ago, they reported Duke had 50 million in dark money. Now that is in addition to their public collective.

Who is paying this dark money? That's the real question. Its almost surely Nike paying a chunk. I think disney (who owns espn) is also paying a chunk. I think there is even a real chance usa basketball (effectively nike) and the nba are paying some. The latter is the only real mystery, but the former almost must be true otherwise there isnt a need for the money to be secret.

Additional point: I posted on rivals years ago that basketball nil was way out of control and everyone was downplaying their amounts for pr reasons. Jones and others just came around to this notion this year, but they were two years behind the market.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Duke, pure as the driven snow slush.

Duke is like Yellow snow, don’t eat it.

 

[ScWildcat3]

I mean just look at Rippey. He’s adidas through and through and has a brand deal with them but Nike got him to Duke somehow.

 

[BigBluefoot]

Purely propaganda.
Yeah, and Zion played for the love of the dukies and a scholarship. So phony.

 

[travisbickle]

Duke does an amazing job of controlling their own narrative.

And they have a lot of help doing so

 

[katwest]

They have unlimited resources from money to warehouses full of lifetime birthday cards and choirboy robes for lounging in. Also job recruiters for parents of the players, to commercials on TV to a free supply of pampers as long as they are at duke. Also tons of other perks you will never know about.

 

[UKGrad24]

They (dukes dark pool money) have done everything they can to keep the heart beating after K. As a college basketball fan, it’s impressive.

there have long been rumors about scheyer and golden having nba ambitions. Regardless of what season either have I think both might be moving on from college eventually.

scheyer has had everything he could ask for and golden has had a generational college player in Clayton and almost 4 years of unreal roster continuity.

We’re still not fully clear of the K smell. It’s going to take a little time, but the conference shifts are going to end up hurting Duke at least somewhat. No way they find their way to the power 2 when it finally happens. ACC programs trying to get out of their contracts as we speak. Once Fla St, UNC, Miami, and Clemson join the SEC, Duke is going to be playing in the mid leagues. Over time it’ll take its toll.

 

[Snarks]

Who cares how much they spend if they’re winning. Sounded like we spent the most last year and we still sucked.

 

[TFCat11]

Yeah, because Duke players are obviously willing to leave $10’s of thousands or $100’s of thousands of dollars on the table, for the “opportunity” to play at Duke!

What’s next, the “LA Dodgers/ NY Yankees discount”?

 

[JHBr]

I remember Mark Cuban saying he got a call regarding needing more cash to get Mendoza to IU. I'm guessing it works the same way with duke. They have plenty of high earning alumni and they give one or more a call.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

I mean just look at Rippey. He’s adidas through and through and has a brand deal with them but Nike got him to Duke somehow.

Don’t remind me, he was my favorite player in the class. Of course Pope never had a chance to get him sadly.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

We’re still not fully clear of the K smell. It’s going to take a little time, but the conference shifts are going to end up hurting Duke at least somewhat. No way they find their way to the power 2 when it finally happens. ACC programs trying to get out of their contracts as we speak. Once Fla St, UNC, Miami, and Clemson join the SEC, Duke is going to be playing in the mid leagues. Over time it’ll take its toll.

They may be funded so well with private money that they may be one school where it doesn’t matter. Like Stanford if they cared about athletics all that much.

 

[Wildcatmenace]

They (dukes dark pool money) have done everything they can to keep the heart beating after K. As a college basketball fan, it’s impressive.

there have long been rumors about scheyer and golden having nba ambitions. Regardless of what season either have I think both might be moving on from college eventually.

scheyer has had everything he could ask for and golden has had a generational college player in Clayton and almost 4 years of unreal roster continuity.

I would not put Walter Clayton and generational remotely in the same sentence.

 

[yoshukai]

They may be funded so well with private money that they may be one school where it doesn’t matter. Like Stanford if they cared about athletics all that much.

This is from an article last year where they reported that Cooper Flagg made $28m while at Duke .


“Duke has navigated the added financial aspect of college sports skillfully. In March of 2023, the “One Vision Futures Fund” was created by Duke alumni. Under the “nature of the business” section of its annual report, the nonprofit simply listed: NIL. These alumni aren’t limited to just buying new uniforms or practice facilities either, but they can indirectly and sometimes even directly pay the players. Does this give a school like Duke an advantage? Of course. But it is also very legal. Despite their obvious impact on the team, these donors stay anonymous as they want the coach to pursue their vision and do not want the fundraising to distract from it. In addition to the One Vision Futures Fund, Duke basketball has also been endowed for years by the “Legacy Fund” established by Coach K. This fund has a minimum donation of $1 million. One of the main reasons, though, that Duke sports have been so successful in the age of NIL is not just due to innovative fundraising. It is instead attributable to how the athletic program adapted to the landscape of NIL. Every school that has rivaled Duke’s athletic success has alumni willing and able to shell out some cash for their alma mater. Duke, though, has managed to excel in the areas that are most crucial to attracting NIL-focused athletes. Duke athletics’ social media presence, for example, is one of the biggest assets in this new era of athletics. The Duke Men’s Basketball Instagram, for example, is the most followedaccount in all of college sports. It has more than double the followers of the second most followed college basketball account, the University of Kentucky. The Durham Devils Clubis another innovative approach to creating NIL partnerships. This membership-based NIL collective allows Duke fans to interact with the athletes they fundraise for as well as build relationships with the coaching staff in exchange for a membership fee. This fee goes towards finding NIL opportunities for Duke athletes. It is important to note, though, that this collective is not affiliated with Duke—as specified by their website—but is instead a third-party entity. Regardless, Duke has been able to generate a significant head start in this new era of sports, and whether people like it or not, NIL seems to be here to stay. As other schools begin to adapt their approaches and new legislation develops, it will be exciting to see how the field of college sports continues to evolve.”

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

This is from an article last year where they reported that Cooper Flagg made $28m while at Duke .


“Duke has navigated the added financial aspect of college sports skillfully. In March of 2023, the “One Vision Futures Fund” was created by Duke alumni. Under the “nature of the business” section of its annual report, the nonprofit simply listed: NIL. These alumni aren’t limited to just buying new uniforms or practice facilities either, but they can indirectly and sometimes even directly pay the players. Does this give a school like Duke an advantage? Of course. But it is also very legal. Despite their obvious impact on the team, these donors stay anonymous as they want the coach to pursue their vision and do not want the fundraising to distract from it. In addition to the One Vision Futures Fund, Duke basketball has also been endowed for years by the “Legacy Fund” established by Coach K. This fund has a minimum donation of $1 million. One of the main reasons, though, that Duke sports have been so successful in the age of NIL is not just due to innovative fundraising. It is instead attributable to how the athletic program adapted to the landscape of NIL. Every school that has rivaled Duke’s athletic success has alumni willing and able to shell out some cash for their alma mater. Duke, though, has managed to excel in the areas that are most crucial to attracting NIL-focused athletes. Duke athletics’ social media presence, for example, is one of the biggest assets in this new era of athletics. The Duke Men’s Basketball Instagram, for example, is the most followedaccount in all of college sports. It has more than double the followers of the second most followed college basketball account, the University of Kentucky. The Durham Devils Clubis another innovative approach to creating NIL partnerships. This membership-based NIL collective allows Duke fans to interact with the athletes they fundraise for as well as build relationships with the coaching staff in exchange for a membership fee. This fee goes towards finding NIL opportunities for Duke athletes. It is important to note, though, that this collective is not affiliated with Duke—as specified by their website—but is instead a third-party entity. Regardless, Duke has been able to generate a significant head start in this new era of sports, and whether people like it or not, NIL seems to be here to stay. As other schools begin to adapt their approaches and new legislation develops, it will be exciting to see how the field of college sports continues to evolve.”

Yeah I seen that article when it came out. That is absolutely insane and who can compete with that? How is that legal? Show me the offers he got that added up to 28 million in NIL and the market value for each thing he did. Thats what kills me. 4-5 million is hard enough to put to paper honestly.

 

[yoshukai]

Yeah I seen that article when it came out. That is absolutely insane and who can compete with that? How is that legal? Show me the offers he got that added up to 28 million in NIL and the market value for each thing he did. Thats what kills me. 4-5 million is hard enough to put to paper honestly.

And there are some simpletons that believe all these elite 5* guys are going to Duke for LESS money .

Anyway , nothing we can do about that.

But we need to get a better return on our investment,that’s for sure.

 

[entropy13]

This is from an article last year where they reported that Cooper Flagg made $28m while at Duke .


“Duke has navigated the added financial aspect of college sports skillfully. In March of 2023, the “One Vision Futures Fund” was created by Duke alumni. Under the “nature of the business” section of its annual report, the nonprofit simply listed: NIL. These alumni aren’t limited to just buying new uniforms or practice facilities either, but they can indirectly and sometimes even directly pay the players. Does this give a school like Duke an advantage? Of course. But it is also very legal. Despite their obvious impact on the team, these donors stay anonymous as they want the coach to pursue their vision and do not want the fundraising to distract from it. In addition to the One Vision Futures Fund, Duke basketball has also been endowed for years by the “Legacy Fund” established by Coach K. This fund has a minimum donation of $1 million. One of the main reasons, though, that Duke sports have been so successful in the age of NIL is not just due to innovative fundraising. It is instead attributable to how the athletic program adapted to the landscape of NIL. Every school that has rivaled Duke’s athletic success has alumni willing and able to shell out some cash for their alma mater. Duke, though, has managed to excel in the areas that are most crucial to attracting NIL-focused athletes. Duke athletics’ social media presence, for example, is one of the biggest assets in this new era of athletics. The Duke Men’s Basketball Instagram, for example, is the most followedaccount in all of college sports. It has more than double the followers of the second most followed college basketball account, the University of Kentucky. The Durham Devils Clubis another innovative approach to creating NIL partnerships. This membership-based NIL collective allows Duke fans to interact with the athletes they fundraise for as well as build relationships with the coaching staff in exchange for a membership fee. This fee goes towards finding NIL opportunities for Duke athletes. It is important to note, though, that this collective is not affiliated with Duke—as specified by their website—but is instead a third-party entity. Regardless, Duke has been able to generate a significant head start in this new era of sports, and whether people like it or not, NIL seems to be here to stay. As other schools begin to adapt their approaches and new legislation develops, it will be exciting to see how the field of college sports continues to evolve.”

Duke's AD and boosters were playing 12-D chess while ol' Mitch was being a "steady hand in choppy waters" (direct quote) by putting the brakes on anything innovative.

At the same time, he also had a verifiably toxic relationship with Cal.

Concurrently, Cal had burned bridges with many big money donors.

Afterwards, Pope refused to have a GM, the result of which is grossly overpaying for mediocre talent, hence 8th and 9th place finishes in the SEC and not making deep tournament runs.

This sh!+astical clusterflux will take some time to sort out.

In the meantime, other Blue Bloods and New Bloods are cruisin'. It'll get worse before it gets better for us UK fans, folks. I'll give this year's team a chance but am not optimistic.