Colorado State star football players received wild NIL offers to transfer, coach says

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It is not easy to turn down some of the wild NIL offers that are reportedly out there for college students.

Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell said Wednesday that quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and wide receiver Tory Horton came to him and told him of the NIL offers they received — some of them exorbitant.

"It’s really important … that you have an open line of communication with your players, and Tory just tells me, ‘Hey, this guy just called me last night and asked me this and offered me,’ and I just laugh. Just thank God we’ve got Tory Horton because he’s an amazing kid. A lot of kids wouldn’t do that," Norvell said, according to On3.

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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi of the Colorado State Rams runs out of the pocket against the Utah State Aggies at Maverik Stadium Oct. 7, 2023, in Logan, Utah. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

"Same thing with Brayden. Brayden had the same kind of offers. If you have enough evidence, you can prove it. But a smoking gun’s a smoking gun. He said a guy from Kansas State called him, offered him $600,000 because they lost their quarterback if he got in the portal."

Norvell is not blaming Kansas State for the offer because he understands this is the way college football works now. 

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Tory Horton of the Colorado State Rams goes up for the ball over Will Johnson of the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium Sept. 3, 2022, in Ann Arbor. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

"And I’m not accusing Kansas State of anything. I’m just telling you what the kid told me. If they don’t want their name thrown in it, I think they should probably get a handle on their people. But there’s a lot of that going on in college football, and that’s just the way things are right now."

Kansas State didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

As for why he stayed, Fowler-Nicolosi says it is not all about the money for him right now.

"It’s how I was raised. I didn’t come here to make money. I came here to win games and play ball for the Rams," the quarterback told CBS Colorado. "I think if we play ball here, we do our job, we do what we are supposed to, we win championships, go to the playoff, shock the world, I think the money will come eventually.

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Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi of the Colorado State Rams warms up before the Utah State Aggies game Oct. 7, 2023, in Logan, Utah. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

"There is a lot of opportunities out there, but, at the end of the day, I’m a 20-year-old kid with higher goals in life than to make money in college. As much of a blessing as that would be and set myself up for a long time, I think if I do my job here, and we get it done and perform like how we know we’re supposed to, I think there are several people on this team that will be taken care of for life after college."

For Horton, it was the familiarity with the system and relationships he has with the coaches that kept him in Colorado.

"The money in college is nice with the new NIL stuff, but that’s not my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is not NIL in college. It's the next level, and the coaching here and the play style that works with us. There is no reason for me to go to another college to start over. To try and go to another system that I am not really aware of. I know what the system is here, and I know how the coaching staff is here, and their ultimate goal of us being better men than just football players.

"How they want us to leave college, having those kinds of coaches here to have that amount of passion on the game, but also your mental and life, it goes a long way."

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Wide receiver Tory Horton of the Colorado State Rams carries the ball at Folsom Field Sept. 17, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Last season, the Rams went 5-7. Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 3,460 yards, 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. 

Horton last season had 96 catches for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging 94.7 yards per game. The wide receiver led the Mountain West in receptions per game with eight.

Colorado State opens its season against the Texas Longhorns Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m. MT.

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