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Rueben Owens plans on a major payday after signing with the Texas A&M Aggies. The nation’s top running back recruit says he’ll make “six figures” in NIL money while playing in College Station.
That admission has absolutely no one around college football surprised as the Aggies have been rumored to be throwing around money at prospects left and right.
Last offseason, A&M landed the top recruiting class in the recruiting ranking era, and many believed it was directly linked to NIL “opportunities” following an 8-4 season. The Aggies were accused of spending upwards of $30M to land that historic cycle.
That alleged payment didn’t pay dividends for TAMU as the program suffered its worst campaign under Jimbo Fisher’s leadership, posting their first losing season in more than a decade and missing out on a bowl invite. Making things worse, a large part of that top-flight class has already entered the transfer portal.
That apparently hasn’t stopped the program from continuing to spend.
Rueben Owens opened up about his NIL opportunity in College Station, and it’s no shock he’ll be able to cash in with the Aggies. Here’s what the back had to say when talking to 247 Sports.
“At A&M I’ll probably make six figures… I’ll score touchdowns then there’s going to be some commercials and stuff I can do.”
While he shakes off the notion that he’ll make $2M like some on social media have claimed, he’s certainly not going to go empty-handed.
That remark had many on the internet talking and fans quickly posted reactions on Twitter.
One person said, “They don’t even hide it. NIL is meant for the commercials and endorsements. Not ‘Hey go get a couple touchdowns today and I’ll throw you an extra 25k.’ Good for the players, but some of this is wild.”
Another fan wrote, “Texas A&M giving up All that NIL money to go 6-6.”
While many were critical, there were some Aggie supporters coming to the defense of the program. One fan commented, “Exactly the reason NIL was created,” while another remarked, “Highest profile recruit of the class will make ‘six figures.’ Don’t think the math adds up to $30M.”
Originally, Rueben Owens had committed to play for Scott Satterfield at Louisville, but the head coach decided to take the job at Cincinnati this offseason. Owens then switched his pledge to the Aggies. While the rusher says NIL wasn’t main reason for his commitment, these presumed opportunities probably helped make that decision easier.