Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has transformed college football into allowing student athletes to earn money through endorsement deals and collectives. It has flipped the coin and given the power to the players, increased retention of talent, and created high-value opportunities. The downside is that it has triggered widespread roster instability through the transfer portal and developed a recruiting imbalance where wealthy power five schools can offer much bigger NIL opportunities.
“It’s harder to cultivate that toughness and grit because when things get hard, sometimes guys make hasty decisions to jump in the portal,” said Mike DeVito, Director of Player Development for University of Maine football. “They go somewhere else instead of having to hold their ground and work through difficult things.”
Years ago, there was a punishment of sitting out a season if an athlete decided to transfer. Now, the NCAA transfer portal allows players to leave a school and join the next very easily with no punishment if they want to seek a bigger NIL deal. This environment that is now very similar to the NFL puts additional pressure on young athletes dealing with contracts, taxes, and branding. Players now have agents, mirroring how professional athletes deal with endorsements. The recruiting imbalance that is driven by financial packages rather than program fit also widens the gap between powerhouse programs and smaller schools. There have been many critiques saying that NIL encourages individual branding over team culture, which is essential to college football.
Although there is adjusting to be made with NIL, it is amazing that athletes can finally earn money and bring attraction to their school from all of their hard work and value they bring to their team. There is more financial security where NIL deals can help cover living expenses, support family members, or save for the future. This creates more opportunities for smaller athletes who are not NFL prospects but can still make money through local sponsorships, social media promotions and camps. Being a part of this can bring attention to their programs and increase exposure for their team and university. Coaches are also now expected to create a top-notch environment for their players to keep them around.
“Because of NIL and the transfer portal, you’re constantly trying to bring in resources to retain players,” said DeVito.
Before NIL, there was no way for athletes to profit from their own name or image and had to be aware of the NCAA rules at all times. Now, they have similar rights to other students that can profit from their own talents, like influencers and musicians. NIL has specifically shifted college football from a system where only schools and media companies profited to an advanced one where players can also earn from their performance and popularity. Athletes now have the power instead of the program, which is a new and a concept to get used to.
