To be clear — I am all about college athletes getting paid. In fact, whenever the topic comes up about how much these athletes (including professional athletes) are making I generally always respond with some form of “somebody is getting paid anyways so it might as well be the players.”

The money is there and it’s either the owner getting the money or the players. In college Football, it’s the schools.

STILL. With that said, I was put off about the idea that some of these recruits are demanding money simply to visit a school.

I know. I know. The market bears what the market bears.

It looks like the market is saying that these high profile athletes can demand money just to show up.

I am assuming these are on visits that are already paid for by the school. If these are for unofficial visits, then well that is fine with me.

In Case You Missed It

SPORTS! SPORTS! JORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS!

Does Colorado have enough momentum to beat Oregon on the road? - ESPN
BOULDER, Colo. -- About an hour and a half before the Rocky Mountain Showdown was set to kick off this past weekend, Colorado coach Deion Sanders strolled down the Buffaloes' sideline. Fans were starting to file in the stands, and there was already a large contingent of students who had arrived early to claim spots in their general admission sections.

GM says Bears don't view Justin Fields 'as a finger pointer' - ESPN
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles called an impromptu news conference Thursday to address the fallout from a litany of events at Halas Hall on Wednesday that began with quarterback Justin Fields expressing frustration over how he's being coached and ended with the sudden resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams.

Joe Burrow remains day-to-day as Bengals continue to monitor QB - ESPN
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow remains day-to-day with a right calf injury, coach Zac Taylor said Thursday.

Burrow's availability for the Monday night game against the Los Angeles Rams remains uncertain. Cincinnati is looking to give Burrow as much time as he needs in order for his injured calf to feel healthy enough to play.

Fantasy Football RB Report: With Nick Chubb down, is Jerome Ford a league-winner?
Legendary Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully, when talking about a player’s injury status, described him as day-to-day. “Well, aren’t we all?” the iconic voice quipped.

When it comes to the NFL and running backs, “day to day” is the best way to describe how to approach the number of committees that keep cropping up with each new injury to lead runners. At the very least, it's "week to week."

The Overhang: Lamar Jackson is busting your preconceptions of him, while the Cowboys' defense is scary evolved
The 2023 football season chugs along and the Autumnal Equinox (i.e. fall) begins early Saturday (ET). The weather is getting crisp. The fantasy football teams start to feel crispy. And the NFL season starts to kind of, sort of take shape if you squint and turn your head sideways.

Ask the Expert: Louisiana Tech broadcaster details the Bulldogs
Nebraska football closes out its non-conference schedule with Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon. It’s a 2-2 Bulldogs program under head coach Sonny Cumbie that has plenty of playmakers on offense. But, questions abound on the defensive side of the ball.

Nebraska Thursday nuggets: Rhule updates QB situation
Nebraska held its final full practice of the week on Thursday morning leading up to its home game vs. Louisiana Tech.

Here is a full recap of what head coach Matt Rhule had to say about the Huskers…

Derek Wacker commits to Nebraska PWO offer to play LB or FB for the Huskers
Nebraska made a preferred walk-on offer to Yutan (Neb.) standout Derek Wacker in early August. Wacker had a terrific summer camp in June in Lincoln and was invited back to Lincoln for the end-of-the-summer barbecue. Wacker has been holding onto this opportunity to play for Nebraska for only about six weeks. After visiting Lincoln this weekend, he was ready to tell Nebraska he wanted to be a Husker.

Say, what if the weather misbehaves Saturday? 'There is no excuse for not playing Nebraska football'
Maybe some guys are dinged up. They are. Maybe new guys have to step up. They do. Maybe it rains. It might. IPhone meteorologists everywhere can speak on the possibility.

What if the sky does decide to spit or be produce something even more menacing when Nebraska hosts Louisiana Tech at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon? So what. In Tomlin-ese, the standard is the standard.

Thursday rundown from Rhule: On QBs, on Cam Lenhardt, on keeping the standard no matter who plays
Husker head coach Matt Rhule said earlier in the week he wasn't going to give away the goods on his quarterback call before this Saturday's game.

And he didn't on Thursday in his last media session prior to Nebraska's game against Louisiana Tech. But as availability at the position goes, Jeff Sims seems to be trending toward a return soon.

If Justin Fields fails at QB, blame the entire Bears organization - The Athletic
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — On Thursday, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy sat behind the same team-branded table on the same dais in the same room that Marc Trestman, Aaron Kromer, Adam Gase, Dowell Loggains, Matt Nagy and Bill Lazor once did.

JD Crisp commits to Nebraska football: How does Texas athlete fit into recruiting class? - The Athletic
JD Crisp, a wide receiver and safety from Second Baptist School in Houston announced his commitment to Nebraska on Wednesday after a weekend visit to the school for its home opener. Here’s what you need to know:

The Overhang: Lamar Jackson is busting your preconceptions of him, while the Cowboys' defense is scary evolved
The 2023 football season chugs along and the Autumnal Equinox (i.e. fall) begins early Saturday (ET). The weather is getting crisp. The fantasy football teams start to feel crispy. And the NFL season starts to kind of, sort of take shape if you squint and turn your head sideways.

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

A Note from Jill

Hi! I invaded Friday Flakes with a story about my cousin's son who suffered some pretty awful (and likely lifelong) injuries in a high school soccer game.

Local soccer player recovering from brutal head collision

He was finally well enough to attend a match and watch from the sideline. His team notched their first win in two seasons (see below). That was a feel-good moment for everyone.

Sports community "overwhelming" family with support for injured player

There is a fundraiser (details below) if you happen to be in the Sioux Falls, SD area on Oct 1 and a Venmo link to donate if you feel inclined to do so. Thank you!