Penn State Football OC Mike Yurcich Says He and QB Sean Clifford Talk Nil About NIL

Mike Yurcich, Penn State’s second-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, says he doesn’t know how much his NIL-savvy starting QB is making off the field.

Yurcich just wants Sean Clifford to be money on the field in 2022.

Clifford is head of his own business, Limitless, a college sports rep agency he co-founded with his brother Liam, a Nittany Lion wide receiver.

“I don’t have a clue. You know, I don’t ask,” Yurcich said when he and I talked one-on-one at Penn State’s media day on Saturday. “When Sean and I talk, it’s about either family or certain goings-on in the world or, you know, trying to connect on a different level outside of football.

“But, the business side of it, that’s his business. We keep it football and family. We joke around a lot. We try to have fun. We talk about music, talk about the lighter side of life, because if it’s all serious, I think a lot of things get lost in the sauce.”

Yurcich added that the two of them — who have been together for 19 months since Yurcich was hired in January 2021 — talk nil about NIL.

“Not really. No, not in detail. Not at all,” Yurcich said. “I don’t think that’s my role as a coach. My role is to make sure that he’s squared away and that I support him.”

The coach added that from his perspective, Clifford’s business has not been a distraction.

“He’s given us tremendous effort,” Yurcich said. “There’s no concerns about his time, when he’s in the facility and all the time he spends outside of facility on football or that he’s going to get the job done. So to me, it’s all good and I don’t really need to go down that road in my role.”

The Cliffords’ agency, Limitless, represents 25 college athletes and has nine employees. Among the agency’s clients are eight Penn State football players, including such prominent names as linebacker Curtis Jacobs, wide receiver Parker Washington, running back Keyvone Lee and safety Ji’Ayir Brown. Limitless also reps star PSU women athletes Anna Camden (basketball) and Kashauna Williams (volleyball). Among the agency’s clients at other colleges is former Nittany Lion quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, who transferred to UConn in the offseason.

THE MONEY GAME

Yurich certainly understands college football is a big business. He earned $950,000 as the offensive coordinator/QB coach at Ohio State for the 2019 season, then left in late December 2019 for a more lucrative deal at the University of Texas. Yurcich signed a three-year, $1.7-million-per year contract with Texas. When head coach Tom Herman was fired following the 2020 season, Yurcich was also let go with two years left on his guaranteed deal. He landed at Penn State, where his salary is not public, but whatever Penn State pays him goes to offset what Yurcich is owed by Texas.

Yurcich, who played quarterback for Division II California of Pennsylvania, says he is all for Name Image and Likeness opportunities for college athletes.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for players to make money,” Yurcich said. “It’s in a space right now that, thank God as an offensive coordinator, I don’t have to really concern myself with too much. I’m fortunate in that regard where anything that exists, our department — going through the head coach — has those guys who are figuring it out at Penn State.

“We’re blessed to be at such a place where we can delegate that responsibility and we have a department for that. So that’s awesome. I don’t really have any strong feelings one way or another, other than I know it’s going to benefit a lot of young men and their families.”

Across college football, quarterbacks are the ones cashing in the most on NIL deals, some reportedly in the millions. At Penn State, NIL is currently a mixed bag in Yurcich’s quarterback room:

Clifford made over $100,000 in the first seven months (July 2021-January 2022) of NIL’s existence. Penn State freshman Drew Allar has a much smaller revenue stream, as he has a monthly guarantee that is in the very low four figures. NIL laws impacting international students, such as backup Nittany Lion QB Christian Veilleux, a Canadian citizen, are very limiting at this point.

I asked Yurich how essential NIL will be in recruiting quarterbacks at Penn State down the road.

“It seems like it may trend in that way,” Yurcich said. “But the rules say one thing, you know, so we’re going to continue to recruit how we recruit. My role is to make sure that the quarterback development is as good or better than anywhere in the country and portray that to the young man. It’s (also) to establish a relationship with the young man — talk about our education, talk about an unbelievable alumni umbrella that Penn State provides, about playing in front of the best fans in America, playing in Beaver Stadium, playing in the Big Ten.

“That’s what I concern myself with. The other stuff is what it is, until I’m told differently.”

PSU ASSISTANTS ON NIL

I asked a few other key Penn State assistant coaches on Saturday for their thoughts on NIL. Their answers are below. Also included are Ja’Juan Seider’s comments on NIL from a conversation he and I had during an assistant coaches’ media availability back in June.

JA’JUAN SEIDER, running backs coach:

“Let’s be honest: Recruiting isn’t the same as it was a year ago. Because now if the NIL discussion doesn’t come up with most of these kids, you can’t even talk to him. Let’s not be blind. It’s going on. Recruiting might not be an official visit; it may be a free agent signing bonus. That’s what we feel we are – an NFL team model.

“To me, if you change who you are, and you get away from the core of who you are when people trust you, then you have no chance even if you get in the door. Because even if the NIL becomes a big deal and say at Penn State we offer $2 million for a running back and Ohio State offers $2 million for a running back, we still have to get in that conversation for that kid to pick us – he has become a free agent at that point. So, your relationships are going to matter. … I’ve been a great recruiter because I outwork people. I build a relationship. There’s a trust factor with me.”

TERRY SMITH, associate head coach, defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach:

“It is a new dynamic. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport. And NIL deals won’t be successful on an island by yourself. To perform and to make plays, you need to have 10 guys out there with you performing and getting it done. So those guys understand that.

“At the end of the day, we play a team sport. We ultimately want to win as many games as we possibly can. Let’s face it, the teams that win the most games get the most accolades — and that comes to our players. So, we’re trying to win them all. And those guys hopefully get all the accolades behind it.”

TAYLOR STUBBLEFIELD, offensive recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach:

“I don’t know exactly what these guys’ deals are. I don’t know who has what deal or whatever.

“Dann Kabala (PSU director of football player relations), working with us, and the collectives are trying to be aggressive in making sure that we take care of our guys and making sure this is a place that recruits want to come to because of how aggressive we are.

“I think that our name brand recognition goes throughout the world. Our alumni want to support our players now in different ways. So, I think that yeah, we’re going to be aggressive.

“In terms of like, what does NIL cause us to do differently? I don’t know we do anything differently at all. Every single one of my guys has goals that are different and it’s just my job to help them achieve their goals within the team goals.”