Gatlin Bair is the fastest high school football player in the country, but there is an interesting caveat to his ongoing recruitment. The speedy Class of 2024 recruit is actually part of the Class of 2026.
Bair is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He plans to serve the Lord on a Mission after high school before beginning his college football career in two years.
There are a lot of different wrinkles to the recruitment of a Mormon Missionary. The importance of Name, Image and Likeness is the most intriguing.
NIL money is not the primary factor for every high school athlete going through the recruiting process. This is where things get interesting in regard to Bair, who is not chasing a bag.
Gatlin Bair’s NIL offers are unique.
Bair, a four-star prospect from a town of 11,000 in Idaho, has offers from more than 25 schools.
He initially committed to stay home and play for Boise State, but reopened his recruitment after head coach coach Andy Avalos was fired. Oregon and Michigan are currently battling it out.
Not only is he a talent on the gridiron, Bair is amongst the fastest high schoolers in the country. He ran a 10.18-second 100-meter dash at the end of March, which is the second-fastest time amongst high schoolers last year, as a junior. It would have placed sixth at the NCAA championship.
Speed is expensive in today’s era.
However, money is playing very little to no role in Bair’s decision. He actually shut down a few different schools because of how they were going about the process.
With that being said, some programs with Bair on their radars took a unique approach to NIL.
According to his high school head coach, Cameron Anderson, some of the interested suitors have floated the idea of finding a legal, NCAA-compliant way to help Bair financially while he serves the Lord.
LDS Missions cost money. It’s not like you go on a Mission and the Church pays for it. You’ve gotta pay for all those things. But that’s been offers from places, beginning in that scope. That would be an absolute blessing for him and his family. They’re not afraid to collect off legitimate means of making money off his NIL.
— Cameron Anderson, via The Athletic
Think about that for a second. College football programs have floated the idea that they (read: their collectives) could help to fund a four-star recruit’s LDS mission in an effort of receiving his commitment.
It is unclear as to whether the Ducks or Wolverines have offered any financial assistance for the upcoming Mission. Either way, NIL has changed the entire landscape of college sports— especially college football.
Bair, who will not sign until National Signing Day in February, is a really fascinating example!