Just a few weeks ago a new football league formed and it plans to challenge the NCAA as a path to the NFL. That league is the Pacific Pro League, which will begin play in the summer of 2018.
Pac Pro has some big name people who are supporting the league; super-agent Don Yee, who represents Tom Brady, and Ed McCaffrey, former NFL wide receiver for the Denver Broncos and father of Stanford star running back Christian McCaffrey.
The Pac Pro league is going to have eight teams. The teams will have 50 players each and the player’s will make an average salary $50,000. The league is meant to be an alternative path to the NFL. The games will take place during the summer, giving the athletes the opportunity to attend school throughout the year, and the athletes will be provided with a one year scholarship at a community college.
“It’ll make a lot of sense for young men and their families,” Ed McCaffrey said. “We’re hoping to provide them with that choice.”
This league could potentially affect the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team. If high level high school football players do determine that the Pac Pro league is a better option for them than the NCAA, then it will affect the Kats’ recruiting. If top college prospects decide that they want to make money and play football professionally before going to the by playing in the Pac Pro league, FBS schools could be forced to recruit and offer scholarships to players that would have been at a top FCS school previously; but now due to shortages in top players some under-the-radar athletes that SHSU would usually adds could find their way to a power five FBS school.
Where I think this could have a major impact is with players that are already top college players. If a player has a big sophomore season, they technically cannot declare for the NFL Draft until after their junior season. These athletes could very well decide to not play for free with the NCAA and join the Pac Pro league in order get compensated for their on field efforts.
Overall, I do not see the Pac Pro having any immediate impact on the Bearkats, or major college football of any kind for that matter. However, once the first domino falls and a top high school recruit, or a top college player, goes to the Pac Pro things could get very interesting in the world of college football.