Marcus Dupree Says Colleges Offered $250K, Oil Well During Recruitment

Many people would take $250,000 a year to play college football, regardless of the potential NCAA violations involved. Apparently, Marcus Dupree was not one of those people.

The former running back appeared on ESPN’s Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard Wednesday to discuss his incredible recruitment process before he ultimately signed with Oklahoma. As Sean Newell of Vice Sports noted, Dupree claimed one school offered him $250,000 a year, while another offered an oil well.

That’s right, an oil well.

Dupree said his mother, who was a schoolteacher, was the main reason he didn’t accept either offer. The entire video can be seen below:

Dupree was the subject of a 30 For 30 documentary titled The Best That Never Was. The movie documented his life as one of the most highly regarded high school recruits of all time and his eventual struggles to fulfill the elevated expectations surrounding him.

According to Newell, Dupree transferred from Oklahoma after his freshman season to Southern Miss before ending up in the USFL. Dupree later played two seasons with the L.A. Rams.

ESPN.com provided a brief synopsis of the film:

In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree.

On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker's record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight.

Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock examined why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.

One can only wonder if Dupree would have accepted an oil well to participate in the documentary when it was made.