Former BYU Football Player Claims Collective Reduced NIL Funds Before School Signed $5M Hooper
Former BYU football player Crew Wakley was among two former Cougars referenced in a recent Salt Lake Tribune article about the 2024 season. Although the team finished 11-2 and nearly secured a Big 12 Championship appearance, some players weren’t satisfied.
Wakley and his teammate Isaiah Bagnah argue that NIL commitments weren’t upheld. The school’s collective reportedly changed its pay structure before the season began.
In early January, the new head of the Royal Blue Collective — BYU athletics’ officially supported Name, Image, and Likeness organization — addressed the team to set a new tone.
“I’m not here to pay your rent or bills. I’m not here for any of that,” said Min Kim, according to defensive end Isaiah Bagnah. “You guys are entitled, greedy, asking me for money.”
Both players stated that NIL compensation was drastically reduced before the 2024 season. Bagnah mentioned that starters’ payouts were cut by over 50%, with most walk-ons receiving nothing. The collective allegedly pressured players with an ultimatum: sign now or receive no funds.
Crew Wakley also pointed to a non-compete clause in the agreement. Players were prohibited from “building their own brands” as it wouldn’t “align with Royal Blue.” He recalled teammates being dismissed for signing outside deals.
According to the players, these issues began even before the initial NIL discussion. The Salt Lake Tribune article states that in December 2023, payments were delayed until after the transfer portal window closed, a change that wasn’t communicated to the team, according to Bagnah.
Normally, players receive their payments around the 15th of each month. But when the team left Provo after the 2023 season, their accounts remained empty.
The collective made the December payments only after the transfer portal window closed, Bagnah said. Some players speculated that the delay was intentional, designed to keep players on the roster instead of losing them to the portal and missing out on part of their NIL payments.
A month after the delayed payments, the renegotiations were introduced. The cuts were explained by BYU’s 5-7 record from the previous year.
“I’m here to win. And you guys didn’t win last year,” Bagnah remembered [Royal Blue Collective leader Min] Kim saying.
BYU signed top basketball recruit AJ Dybantsa a year after the NIL cuts.
The No. 1 player committed to the Cougars in December before signing in February. His potential one-and-done deal is reportedly worth over $4 million.
This deal will likely be one of the largest in college basketball next season. Dybantsa is one of several talented basketball players to join BYU’s roster following the arrival of new coach Kevin Young.
Meanwhile, football players were reportedly told they could renegotiate in the fall after expressing frustration over the January cuts. This, however, never materialized.
When players voiced their dissatisfaction, collective leaders assured them that contracts would be renegotiated after fall camp, according to Wakley. The safety recalled being told that starters’ pay would increase, but that promise was never fulfilled.
Football and basketball players have had notably different experiences with the BYU NIL collective over the past year. It’s unclear whether Dybantsa’s lucrative deal influenced the renegotiation process. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and basketball operations CEO Danny Ainge presented a blank check to secure the forward’s commitment. The football team, however, does not seem to have received similar support from donors.
The players mentioned in the Salt Lake Tribune article have since left Provo. Isaiah Bagnah is preparing for the NFL, while Crew Wakley transferred to Purdue.
