The NIL is running hotter and heavier than ever, but there are two teams that won't be able to participate.
Of course, those schools are Army and Navy, which, as USAA CEO Wayne Peacock says, is a “one-way portal” to the academy.
We just saw Bryce Underwood switch his commitment from LSU to the University of Michigan for seven figures. AJ Divanza, a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, also committed to BYU after reportedly receiving a $5 million offer from NIL.
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Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen before the 122nd annual Army-Navy college football game between the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 11, 2021. Overview of the helmet. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Obviously, academy players can't go that route if they go to either Army or Navy. But the 125th Army-Navy Game is scheduled to kick off Saturday afternoon on the outskirts of the nation's capital, which Peacock said makes the annual event even more special.
“What I think about this, especially in the era of portals and the NIL, is that this is college football in its purest form. When they're out on the field, they're competing like they're in a battle, and they are competing with each other as if in battle.
FILE – Navy Midshipmen and Army Black Knights line up for the snap at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of an NCAA football game Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
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“But what's special is that after the game, they come together, march at opposite ends of the stadium, sing each other's alma maters, and then put on their college uniforms.” United States, they defend our country, they protect our country. We're going to protect our freedom, and to me that's what's so great about them and this game. ”
“There's only one-way entrance into the Army and Navy,” Peacock added. “But what they find is student-athletes who not only want to play, but want to do something more than play, and that's what makes it special to me. But… Their ability to put a competitive team on the field in this environment also speaks to something we don't often talk about, and that is the power of teamwork and culture.”
USAA announced Friday that it will remain the sole sponsor of the game through the 2030 edition, a title it has held since 2009.
Army is ranked 22nd in the nation with an 11-1 record, while Navy trails at 8-3.
Army/Navy logo at midfield before the 122nd annual Army/Navy college football game between the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 11, 2021. Overall diagram. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Midshipmen have won 16 of 17 of the last eight meetings, while the Black Knights have won six of the last eight meetings.
Navy leads the series all-time with 62 wins, 55 losses, and 7 losses.
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