“So you could pay for him to go to another school?!”: Hoops fans confused as 5-star Nate Ament leads new NIL company

A new NIL company called Fanstake has launched with five-star uncommitted small forward Nate Ament of Highland High School as the first signee. This new NIL company would allow fans to “stake” players to their favorite school so that the player can be lured in more. Should that player choose a different school, that fan would get his or her money back.

Fanstake markets its concept as fans choosing an athlete going to their favorite collegiate team and then "stake" that athlete with a financial pledge. They would only pay if that athlete joins that chosen team, though they would still have to pay a $25 deposit. Should the player choose a different school, fans would get that deposit back.

However, a few fans got confused with this new concept, with some asking if people are just betting on their favorite players going to their favorite schools now.

"So you could pay for him to go to another school?!" Asked one commenter.

"There an app that lets fans bid on high schoolers now?" Another commenter also asked.

"Can coaches getting NIL too? or Am I behind ? Lol." Another person quipped.

Meanwhile, there were also several commenters criticizing the move, while others were pointing out that this was no different from the rich boosters some schools have.

"This ain’t no different from boosters / former alumni putting money up for the school," one commenter pointed out.

"Capitalism is going overboard!" another commenter added.

"Ok it’s gone too far time to regulate this it’s ruining college athletics," said another person.

Nate Ament is only the first uncommitted high school star to sign with the new NIL company. He released a statement regarding him signing with Fanstake on Wednesday.

“I’m proud to partner with Fanstake,” he said in a statement. “This platform gives fans a unique way to be part of the recruiting process, which is pretty cool. I’m still weighing my options for where I’ll play, and there’s a lot to consider, but it’s exciting to see how fans can get involved in helping me find the right fit.”

Nate Ament's final 11 schools revealed

The very same day he announced his Fanstake involvement, Nate Ament also revealed the shortlist of 11 schools that he would be choosing from. They are Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas.

Nate Ament is the only uncommitted player from the Top 4 of the Class of 2025, with No. 1 AJ Dybantsa going to BYU, No. 2 Cameron Boozer going to Duke, and No. 3 Darryn Peterson going to Kansas. This means that him teaming up with Dybantsa or the Boozer Twins is very much possible.