North Cook News

John Holecek, former Loyola Academy football coach, recently discussed Northwestern University on Chicago’s Morning Answer.

He was a four-time state champion as a coach at Loyola and before that played for the University of Illinois and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He said that the concept behind the NCAA’s new Name, Image and Likeness rules allows for more robust ways to pay athletes. 

“Northwestern is going to be in a bad spot unless they really get in the NIL,” Holecek told Chicago’s Morning Answer. “I don't think that university has embraced that. And the new rule in football is, it's free agency, it's minor leagues, it's not college, it's pro.” 

When asked by Dan Proft "why does Northwestern or any program have to embrace it," noting that "there's not that many players that get those deals," Holecek responded that he thinks, "Michigan's going to own this." 

“I'm not positive. I thought everyone on this, man, the Michigan team is going to get at least $30,000 to 40,000 per player,” he added. “That's going to be the standard now. So once they took that lid off, it's the Wild West and you're joining, or prepare to move down the conference because you're not going to get a transfer at any type of, you know, a specialized position that's worth it without giving them money.” 

Explaining further on his opinion, Holecek said, “I'd love it if I was playing. But honestly, the coaches are making $10 or 15 million at some schools and the players got nothing."

"So it was a very, you know, anti-American process," he said. "But now that it's out, it's really going to be a problem. There's going to be lots of issues, but I don't know how they're going to fix it, but it's certainly going to cause a lot of strife in a lot of different worlds.” 

Holecek’s comments come as Northwestern finished an abysmal 1-11 in the 2022 football season, finishing last in the Big Ten Conference.

The NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness rules have drastically changed the college football recruiting process. As part of the change, NIL allows all athletes to sign with agents to assist them in their college careers, according to Sports Illustrated.

Ohio State University recently noted it missed out on a five-star athlete after being unable to meet NIL demands of over $750,000. The player, who was not named in the report, ultimately signed with the University of Georgia for a package worth $800,000 per season. Ohio State has told boosters it needs $13 million for the upcoming year to remain competitive in recruiting efforts.