You hate to see injuries at any level of the game. But it is especially miserable to see a potential first-round talent go down with an injury just before the college football playoffs begin.
Oregon's star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu suffered a serious knee injury earlier this week that will sideline him for the remainder of the college football post-season and likely hurt his draft stock. Ekpre-Olomu was considered to be one of the top 45 prospects by CBS Sports before the injury. It is unclear how much this setback will impact his draft stock.
But the senior did something smart, something that every top prospect should start doing, before the season. He took out a loss of value insurance policy on himself and got the University of Oregon to pay for it. This has become an increasingly common practice for players who are likely to be high-round draft picks but elect to return to school.
Ekpre-Olomu's policy will pay him if he is not a first-round pick, including an increasing amount the further he falls in the draft. The policy maxes out at $3 million if he is not selected by the start of the third round. While specific numbers aren't known, it's nice to see that Ekpre-Olomu at least has some financial protection in this mess.
Cedric Ogbuehi, an offensive tackle at Texas A&M, also got the Aggies to pay for a similar insurance policy.
"And if you're a draft prospect whose school won't pay for an insurance policy, that's a pretty good indication that you should turn pro," Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk wrote.
Right you are. In the current landscape of NCAA Football, where college players are pushing for more compensation and staying in school is becoming more and more detrimental to your long-term value, this loss of value insurance policy should become commonplace. Any reluctance from a school to cover the cost is a red flag for potential top prospects and, as Smith wrote, a sign to move on to the pro level.
Here's to hoping for a quick recovery for Ekpre-Olomu.
