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By Bill Contz
For the Mirror
L eave it to the state renowned for the exploitation of its vast oil reserves to let their flagship institution of higher learning set the bar for monetizing the value of a college lineman.
The Texas Longhorns' recent unveiling of "The Pancake Factory" gives brand new meaning to the phrase "prime Texas steer" with a program that now earmarks $50,000 annually to each of their 16 offensive linemen on scholarship.
This endeavor trumps the school's Clark Field Collective, a cross-sport NIL initiative which had previously promised a minimum of $150,000 to every UT lineman while they're on campus.
Talk about a cattle call.
This thing could attract more heft than the all-u-can-eat prime rib night at Golden Corral.
The Lone Star state has routinely prided itself on attracting homegrown talent; however, you wouldn't know it with a football program that has produced exactly one 10-win season since 2010.
It's evident that a lot of that talent has been jumping the fences for the greener pastures of rival conferences lately and this new "factory" fully intends to change that.
Apart from being affiliated with an extraordinarily well-funded nonprofit known as Horns with Heart, what truly differentiates this program from the other NILs now dotting college football's new financial landscape is that the names, their images and likenesses of the Texas players will change every few years making it more of a conceptual, fill-in-the-blank image as opposed to any specific player's actual likeness.
If I'm a Texas lineman on scholarship, I am absolutely agreeing to that redshirt year if offered because I get to bank another $50K. That's a cool quarter million for my five-year stint in Austin. Hook ’em Horns, baby.
You have to wonder if the agent representing first-year coach Steve Sarkisian included a clause in his client's contract stipulating that these types of incentive programs be created within the first few years of his tenure.
Since this "factory" will now be setting aside $800,000 for all offensive linemen on scholarship, we need to clarify a few things.
First off, what stops the head coach from allocating a sizable chunk of his compensation and make his own annual contribution to this worthy "'charity?"
I'd wager he'd do so anytime he needed to match the going rate, which would be whatever Oklahoma or Baylor would pay for their road graders.
Hey, it's not just a tax write-off, it's for a good cause (namely his own), right?
And what happens when the coaching staff decides that, due to a rash of injuries on defense, they need to move a player across the line of scrimmage and convert him into a nose tackle? Would that player see a reduction in his $50,000 stipend?
Let's be real. This is just a different version of money laundering, a Power 5 school providing the necessary funding to bolster its running attack and protect their most treasured asset, their quarterback.
I can think of another state-owned university actively looking to improve their running game by upgrading their existing offensive line talent.
Unless Penn State gives thought to offering similar perks, its rivals will herd all the blue-ribbon talent to own their programs.
Attention all farm show attendees: Head on over to the main arena because the bidding war for the prime beef has just begun.
Contz was a starting offensive tackle on Penn State's first national championship team in 1982 and played six NFL seasons with New Orleans and Cleveland. He published a book in 2017, "When the Lions Roared: Joe Paterno and One of College Football's Greatest Teams." He resides in Pittsburgh.