If you liked NIL money and its ugly stepsister, the Transfer Portal, you are going to love Revenue Sharing for college student athletes.
Remember the golden days of long ago when college players stayed at their schools long enough for fans of other schools to hate them? What Carolina fan did not enjoy wishing missed free throws on Dook’s Bobby Hurley or Christian Laettner? It was a wonderful part of basketball.
But on 1 July, 2021, all that delightful ill will ended when NIL came into effect.
Some background info about NIL and the Transfer Portal. For those who came in late, NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness for college players. They are officially allowed to be paid by third parties for endorsements, sponsorships, and business ventures.
Before NIL, none of these activities had ever occurred at any college. Not one. All colleges played by the same rules. Coincidentally, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
Some soreheads contend that NIL stands for “Now It’s Legal.” The Transfer Portal is where college players go at the end of each season to auction off their talents to the highest bidder. School loyalty is a moldy artifact of the past. Money talks and everybody walks to the next school. It is hard to remember their names after one season when they are one and done, gone on to another school or the NBA.
The newest plan to turn college sports into free-range pro teams is Revenue Sharing. Colleges can now pay players in addition to third-party NIL money. Ponder what this portends.
UNC’s esteemed Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham issued a statement regarding what Revenue Sharing will mean for the Tar Heels.
Author’s Note: Bubba will soon be kicked upstairs to make room for a new UNC Athletic Director who has a 15-year background in NASCAR marketing.
Here is what Bubba sez: UNC will pay $20.5 million each year to athletes with most of it going to the revenue-generating sports of men’s football and basketball.
“Women’s basketball and baseball players are receiving some revenue share, as well.”
“ Some” in this context means “a whole lot less.” The cap on the number of scholarships is removed with UNC increasing all sports scholarships from 338 to 532 paid positions. The sports budget at UNC will increase from $150 million to about $180 million next year. That is a lot of bucks. From whence shall these dollars arise?
Funny you should ask about money? UNC recently appointed a new Money Czar with the colorful title of Chief Revenue Officer “to investigate and initiate new revenue opportunities, including naming rights, field sponsorships and jersey patches… More aggressive ticket sales initiatives (higher prices). Additional funding allocated by the State of NC from gambling revenues may also assist our efforts.” {Emphasis Added)
What does this mean in English? Lots of cool stuff coming down the pike to raise bucks. Naming rights mean the Bank of America-Tar Heel football team may be playing on the Preparation H Hemorrhoid Cream Field in the beautiful Tidy Bowl-Kenan Stadium.
Companies will jump at the chance to sponsor football penalties announced to TV audiences such as the Clearasil Acne Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Tampax illegal block in the back, Raid Roach Killer Roughing the Kicker, Charmin Toilet Paper illegal formation, Ex-Lax False Start, d-Con Rodent Killer Holding Penalty, and the Old Spice Antiperspirant Personal Foul.
Imagine the thrill of watching the Heels play basketball in the Weed Eater-Dean Dome! Basketball penalties offer similar sponsorship opportunities. Could we hear calls for the Oral-B Flagrant Foul, the Chanel Number 5 Fragrant foul, the Equate Flushable Wet Wipes Double Dribble, the Ozempic Traveling Penalty, or the Draft Kings 5 Second Inbounds Violation? The possibilities are endless.
Jersey patches on football players and basketball players are going to be a thing of beauty. The Heels will end up looking like NASCAR drivers with patches for Camel Cigarettes, Champion Spark Plugs, Bud Light beer, Smirnoff Vodka, etc., covering their baby blue uniforms. Pure class.
The most exciting thing is Bubba’s passing mention that the Tar Heels may end up getting Gambling Money from the State. What could go wrong? Gamblers never try to fix games. If you are older than dirt, you might remember the old Dixie Classic Basketball tournament back in the ‘50s when UNC, Dook, Wake Forest, and NC State played 4 really good out-of-state teams. It ended ingloriously when players were caught shaving points. Of course, that could never happen again.
Bring on the Fan Duel NIL sponsorship of players. Place bets at your seats. It’s gonna be yuge.

(Illustration by Pitt Dickey)

LSU finished shy of its ultimate goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. After a promising start to the season, many fans were disappointed with the Tigers’ 9-4 finish last year.

It marked the first time in three seasons that Brian Kelly hadn’t led LSU to a 10-win season. Given his reputation as one of the longtime successful coaches in the sport — it wouldn’t come as a surprise that some fans are getting impatient in Baton Rouge. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum doesn’t see Kelly on any time of hot seat, however.

“Read my lips, that is not happening,” Finebaum said during an appearance on McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning. “What has happened is that, because of who he is and where he came from, people expect instant success, which is fine, that’s expected of everyone at that level. And I think most would agree, including Brian Kelly, that last year was a setback.

“I mean, there were some games when they just looked miserable, notably the Alabama game, other games, Texas A&M in the second half. So I think because of this, because of who he is, people are going to say, well, he hasn’t gone to the playoffs.”

Kelly’ Tigers are coming off a 2024 season in which LSU jumped out to a 6-1 start, which saw them win six straight after dropping the season opener. The Tigers looked to be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff before three consecutive losses in SEC play hindered their postseason bid.

LSU ended up finishing the season with a 9-4 record during quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s first season as starting quarterback. However, his numbers were among the best in the SEC last season. Nussmeier is expected to lead the high-powered LSU offense to great heights in 2025. There are still questions surrounding the defense, but all signs point toward the Tigers being in the mix in 2025.

Additionally, Kelly and his staff have pieced together the No. 2 overall transfer portal class this offseason. LSU also has the No. 9 incoming recruiting class, so there is expected to be no shortage of talent throughout Kelly’s roster this season.

The Tigers will kick off regular season action on the road against the Clemson Tigers during Week 1. LSU’s highly-anticipated true road game is set for Aug. 30, and Clemson is an early favorite to win the matchup according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Nick Kwiatkoski never expected to become an NFL player when he signed to play with West Virginia University in 2011, but circumstances can sometimes change.

Kwiatkoski believes the growth and development that he made during his five years spent at WVU helped turn him into the person he’s become today, and consequently, he feels compelled to give something back to the place that has done so much for him.

Working with Kyle Poland and John Patterson in the Mountaineer Athletic Club, Kwiatkoski recently made a significant leadership gift to the football program that now places him in the Summit Society – WVU athletics’ philanthropic giving group which recognizes donors making transformational gifts to help impact Mountaineer athletics.

For Kwiatkoski, it was about helping a place that really helped him during an important time in his life.

“I had a blast during my time there,” he said recently. “I never expected to get a Division I offer and when I arrived at West Virginia, I wasn’t one of those guys who was saying, ‘I’m going to go to the NFL.’ I was just happy to be there when I got on campus, and just going through (strength and conditioning coach) Mike Joseph‘s program in the weight room it brought out a side of me I didn’t know I had.

“I grew tremendously as a player in the weight room, mentally, and in the film room. That time there was huge part of my life and helped me grow into the football player I became and just the person that I became,” Kwiatkoski admitted. “Once you get there, the time you put in before you leave is a huge chunk of your life.”

A native of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Kwiatkoski falls into the category of overlooked and underappreciated Pittsburgh area players who made a name for themselves at nearby West Virginia. Standouts such as Major Harris, Mike Logan, Marc Bulger and Charles Fisher were outstanding Steel City area players who, for one reason or another, didn’t attract much interest from Pitt.

Kwiatkoski’s personal story is very similar to theirs.

“Growing up, (the top) guys from the WPIAL were going to Pitt,” he recalled. “Their facilities were 15 minutes down the road from me and there weren’t too many guys going to West Virginia from Pittsburgh.

“You have a lot of great football schools in this area and, of course, high school football is huge, too. Growing up in Pittsburgh, you saw the Flying WV around some, but it was definitely outweighed by Pitt and Penn State.”

Penn State’s Tom Bradley once made a visit to his high school, but it was West Virginia that saw his potential. Kwiatkoski got a call one day from Mountaineer assistant coach Dave McMichael and soon he handed Kwiatkoski off to assistant coaches Jeff Casteel and Steve Dunlap.

After a good junior season that included a place on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Preseason Fabulous 22 List, Kwiatkoski suffered a back injury and missed the first two months of his senior season. Once he called Casteel to commit to West Virginia, the Mountaineers continued to remain committed to him after his injury.

Then, when Dana Holgorsen took over the Mountaineer program in 2011, Kwiatkoski was among the group of talented football players gifted to him from Bill Stewart’s staff.

Kwiatkoski played for three different defensive coordinators during his college career, finishing up with Tony Gibson in 2015. His best season came in 2014 as a junior when he made 103 total tackles and had 11 ½ tackles for losses while playing outside linebacker.

His four-year totals include 303 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, six interceptions and two sacks, while demonstrating the versatility on special teams desired by pro scouts.

“I played multiple positions at West Virginia and went through a handful of coordinators, from Joe DeForrest to Keith Patterson to Tony Gibson,” Kwiatkoski recalled.

“I played a few different schemes at West Virginia. I was recruited by Coach Casteel to play in the 3-3-5 as a safety, and oddly enough, I think those two years with Coach DeForrest and Coach Patterson it was kind of a multiple 3-4 defense, which is ultimately what I ended up playing a lot during my NFL career. Then it was back to the 3-3-5 with Gibbie during my senior year,” he explained. “Playing different positions and different schemes definitely helped me gain an overall understanding of defenses.”

Following his senior year in 2015, Kwiatkoski was invited to play in the Senior Bowl and then after the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the Chicago Bears selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft as the 113^thoverall pick.

However, Kwiatkoski’s rookie season with the Bears got off to an inauspicious start. He injured his hamstring during the first day of full pads and missed most of training camp. Although he signed a four-year, $2.91 million contract, only the signing bonus portion of it was guaranteed.

“As a rookie, you are going into a completely new environment, and you see guys get cut all the time. For me, I was pretty confident I was going to make the team, but there was some uncertainty there until week one,” he recalled.

“You are watching good players get let go and you are standing there on the sidelines watching, so it was definitely a sense of doubt,” Kwiatkoski admitted. “I didn’t know how anything worked, and the roster is getting cut down every day.”

But he made the team and ended up starting seven games during his rookie season in 2016. A year later, Pro Football Focus rated Kwiatkoski the league’s third-best inside linebacker in run-stop percentage, and he continued to be an important contributor on the Bears’ defense until signing a lucrative three-year free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.

He played two full seasons with the Raiders, another with the Atlanta Falcons and was in Pittsburgh’s training camp in 2023 when he was released.

Although Kwiatkoski has never officially submitted his retirement papers to the NFL, he says he is pretty much done with pro football.

“There are things I wished would have gone differently here and there, but overall, I enjoyed my career, and it was more than I ever expected when I went to college at West Virginia,” he noted. “I feel like I got what I wanted out of it and for seven years, I had a blast, honestly.”

Kwiatkoski has enough service time to receive an NFL pension, so he said he’s taking his time to consider what he wants to do next with his life.

His permanent residence is in Las Vegas, and he also owns an apartment in Pittsburgh where he frequently spends his time with family and friends.

“I’m enjoying retirement right now,” he says. “I feel great physically. Thank God I had no major, major injuries. It was all minor stuff, so overall, I feel great.

“I want to do something I enjoy,” he adds. “It would be great to remain close to football, but in my mind that’s not a need. I’m still trying to figure that out. It’s not like I’m looking for something and can’t find it, but more so finding the right thing.”

Up until the time he was released by the Steelers, football was a year-round proposition for a good portion of his life.

“Last year was the first year I didn’t go to a training camp,” he pointed out. “After Pittsburgh let me go, I still trained every day, and I kept in shape last year, but I’d be lying if I told you I was working out as hard as I would if I was going to training camp.”

Today, Kwiatkoski has more time to follow his favorite college team. He said he’s encouraged with the direction the Mountaineer program is taking under Rich Rodriguez, whom he met for the first time earlier this summer.

It was Rodriguez’s success in the mid-2000s that got Kwiatkoski interested in West Virginia football in the first place.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I got to spend some time with Rich Rod a few weeks ago when they had a camp, and I crossed paths with a lot of guys on his staff. It’s encouraging to see them put it out there on the field.

“I’ve gotten to know Pat White and some of the other former players and that’s something I love about West Virginia,” Kwiatkoski continued. “I feel like among the players, past, present and future, somehow relationships are built with the guys. I remember when I was playing for the Raiders and Pat was coaching with the Chargers and just seeing him after games and talking to him. There is always that West Virginia tie that bring players and coaches together.

“Kyzir White, when he was with the Chargers, we would talk after games, and I also got to play against Tavon (Austin) once or twice. I traded jerseys with some of the West Virginia guys, and I have those in my house in Vegas.”

Kwiatkoski admits he is still wrapping his arms around the business nature of college sports these days, but he understands the importance of supporting his alma mater. 

Fortunately, he is in a financial position to do so.

“(WVU) had such a big impact on me as a football player and as a person,” Kwiatkoski explained. “There was a lot of uncertainty when I arrived on campus with my injury, and then for them to stick with me, I turned into an NFL player while I was there, mentally and physically. I owe a lot for that.

“With the state of college football these days, it’s always good to give back and help them build what they’re trying to build, whatever that may be,” he said. “I don’t know all of the ins and outs today and I’m curious to sit down and learn more about it.”

Kwiatkoski indicated the details of his contribution are still being worked out.