From a clever UCF meme to the White House joining in, see how this social media trend is reshaping college athlete recruitment.
UCF's social media team took to X to promote a benefit of the school's geography - no state income tax. The post depicted Knightro, UCF's mascot, holding up an overflowing bag of money into the clouds.
The post, which has now been replicated by other tax-free universities and even government entities, is designed to attract potential recruits through the transfer portal. Houston is among the group of schools that hopped on the trend, trading out Knightro for the Houston Cougar.
This is a well-timed strategy for securing commitments from undecided players as the first transfer portal window is closing this Friday, Jan. 16. Thus far, both Houston and UCF have had success through the portal, ranking within the top three among Big 12 teams according to 247 Sports.
But, the most impressive copier of the trend is the White House itself. President Donald Trump, who has had his run-ins with social media posting in the past, was posted on the White House's official X account as a homage to UCF's post.
Within the post, Trump is holding up a bag of money, like Knightro. However, instead of promoting no state income tax, the picture reads "No tax on tips. Thanks to President Trump's Working Families Tax Cut."
Schools outside of the Big 12 also took to the trend, including North Texas. North Texas is experiencing a huge overhaul of new talent as most of its team followed former coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.
Former UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson announced his commitment to the Mean Green this past week, as he seeks to replace a lethal passing offense that threw for the most yards in the country last season.
In today's era of NIL, taxes are something to consider for recruits. According to MarcaNCAA, "State taxes play a crucial role in how much money an athlete actually takes home. Florida and Texas, for example, impose no state income tax, meaning athletes keep the entirety of their NIL earnings. In contrast, states like California and New York levy high taxes, up to 12.3% and 10.9%, respectively, which can substantially reduce an athlete's effective pay."
For schools like UCF, North Texas and Houston, university officials have to look for ways to promote the benefits of attending a university that may not have the most NIL backing or historic prowess.
Reminding these athletes that they will be able to keep a higher percentage of their earnings by attending these schools is a great tactic and explains why so many programs followed UCF's lead.
In a landscape where money is king, the promise of keeping more of what they earn can be just as powerful a recruiting pitch as tradition, facilities, or on-field success.