Even in NIL Boom, Texas Longhorns Lose Baseball Commit to MLB Over Money

Third-round MLB draft pick Brody Bumila, a 6-foot-9 lefty flamethrower, won't be able to help the Texas Longhorns he was committed to out of high school, but he'll be moving to the Lone Star State nonetheless.

Bumila was taken by the Texas Rangers in the third round this weekend and announced his intention to join the organization this summer.

Around this area of the draft is where players begin to seriously question whether they want to begin their pro career right away or spend time in college to develop their skills in hopes of getting drafted higher in the future.

Especially in the name, image, and likeness era of college athletics, this expected range is rising for college baseball prospects, who are usually committed to Power 4 programs before the draft as a form of security in case of a last-second change of mind.

But still, Texas wasn't able to lure Bumila to Austin.

Why?

"I got the money I wanted," Bumila said.

READ MORE: Ex Longhorns Forward Makes Strong Case for NBA Contract

The Massachusetts native also played on Bishop Feehan's state championship-winning basketball team, but Bumila's stardom was most evident on the mound. The southpaw has registered a fastball that touches triple digits ... and with it coming from such a dramatic downward angle, he's a profile the Rangers couldn't pass up.

And Bumila doesn't want to pass up the opportunity, either, even if it comes in a round where he could make comparable money in college through NIL earnings and partnerships.

The Rangers saw Bumila as a steal in Round 3. According to The Boston Globe, the organization offered Bumila "first-round money," which could cost upwards of $3.5 million out of the team's $10.2 million bonus pool.

The Longhorns will also lose out on welcoming Grady Emerson, the nation's top shortstop prospect out of high school ranks. As expected, Emerson will be forgoing college after being chosen No. 2 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays and receiving a signing bonus larger than $10 million.

Before Bumila can join the Rangers' farm system, reports says he'll need to undergo elbow surgery, which would be his second procedure, to clean up what was a brutal run physically through high school basketball and baseball last spring.

"We'll figure it out as quickly as possible," Bumila said. "I want to get under as quickly as possible so I can be back to normal as quickly as possible."

READ MORE: Steve Sarkisian Faces Title-Or-Bust Pressure at Texas

Perhaps the required surgery makes Bumila's decision to not enroll at Texas one that's easier to swallow for Longhorns coach Jim Schlossnagle.

But the dream of potentially forming a three-headed monster rotation of Dylan Volantis, Sam Cozart, and Brody Bumila must have been tantalizing to say the least.

While Bumila is widely regarded as "the most talented," yet the biggest "high-risk/high-reward" prospect in this class, the Longhorns will remain formidable foes next season in the SEC and beyond without him.

Texas isn't lacking in baseball reputation and NIL resources, and several quality transfers have joined the program for a run in 2027.

But when it comes to top MLB prospects and their decisions for their careers, it appears college baseball is still on the back burner when the money is on the table.