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What does NIL really mean for college athletics?

Mark Sherrill In five to 10 years, I predict: • Division II and III programs will struggle to survive. The good: Opportunity for generational wealth Mark Sherrill is former head basketball coach at Fort Valley State and former assistant coach at Johnson C. Smith, where he earned All-American and All-CIAA accolades as a player. 3. […]

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4 months ago

January 5, 2025

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What does NIL really mean for college athletics?

Mark Sherrill

In five to 10 years, I predict:

• Division II and III programs will struggle to survive.

The good: Opportunity for generational wealth

Mark Sherrill is former head basketball coach at Fort Valley State and former assistant coach at Johnson C. Smith, where he earned All-American and All-CIAA accolades as a player.

3. Work hard: Discipline and effort will always outlast quick money. The NIL era is here, and it’s an exciting time. But let’s not lose sight of what truly matters—education, relationships, and preparing for life after the game.

• The NCAA may cease to exist as power programs move toward corporate governance.
• Relationships redefined: For many coaches, the recruiting process has become transactional. Instead of focusing on development or relationships, the first question athletes often ask is, “What kind of bag are you offering?”
• Academics take a backseat: Imagine a high school athlete receiving a million-dollar NIL deal to play at a college. Are we really going to fail them for skipping class? Why should academics matter when the money is rolling in?

NIL refers to the rights of college athletes to control and profit from their name, image, and likeness. For decades, these rights were restricted by the NCAA, which prevented athletes from monetizing their personal brands.

The broader implications

If we think the NCAA was exploiting athletes, consider this: The corporate world operates in a similar way. Many people work hard, making their companies millions while barely making ends meet. Life isn’t always fair, and promotions come from effort, not entitlement.

Similarly, not all athletes who receive big NIL deals will be prepared for the realities of life after sports. Many will burn through their money, lose the discipline to work hard, and face challenges when the checks stop coming.

Looking ahead: A fragile future

• Smaller schools must start building endowments to keep their sports programs alive.
Let me be clear: I’m thrilled for today’s athletes who have the chance to secure life-changing wealth while still in college. In some cases, this money could transform families and create opportunities that extend well beyond sports. But this newfound financial freedom comes with challenges.

1. Invest wisely: Get a financial planner to help secure your future.
However, recent policy changes now allow athletes to earn money from endorsements, appearances, and other opportunities—all while playing college sports.

A word of advice for athletes

NIL has shifted the focus of college sports in ways we may not yet fully understand. The question is: What does this mean for the future of college athletics, academics, and the athletes themselves? The challenges: Sustainability, values, and long-term impact.

2. Think long-term: Avoid wasting money on fleeting luxuries.
College athletics is undergoing a seismic shift. While I’m happy for the athletes receiving life-changing opportunities, we must approach this era with caution, wisdom, and a plan for sustainability. Let’s keep hope alive but stay vigilant about the road ahead.
• Unequal opportunities: Not every athlete gets paid. Many dream of transferring to larger programs to secure their piece of the pie, leaving smaller schools and programs struggling to keep up.

Closing thought

This NIL agreement is, in my opinion, a ticking time bomb. Why? Because it fundamentally alters the purpose and priorities of college sports.
To the athletes fortunate enough to secure NIL deals:

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After a Projected $46.5M Deal, Travis Hunter Outshines NIL Topper Shedeur Sanders in Rookie NFL Season

Colorado dual-star and Heisman winner Travis Hunter was the second player taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted Hunter so badly that they jumped ahead three picks with the Cleveland Browns to make the move, giving up two firsts and a second-round pick in the process. As the second overall pick in […]

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14 minutes ago

May 3, 2025

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As the second overall pick in the draft, Hunter made himself a lot of money. His rookie deal, according to overthecap.com, is worth four years, $46.5 million with a $30.6 million signing bonus. He is set to make $11.6 million per year.

Hunter’s teammate at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders, isn’t in the same boat as Hunter as far as the value of his rookie contract. While he was once considered a top-three pick, Sanders slid to the fifth round of the draft, costing him millions of dollars.

According to overthecap.com, Sanders’ rookie deal is a four-year deal worth $4.6 million, making an average of $1.16 million per season. Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, will be making $48 million on his deal. Sanders lost out on potentially $40 million.

When you compare how big of stars the two were at Colorado and how both were projected to be top-five, top-10 picks for a while, Hunter will be making ten times what Sanders is making. It’s wild to see the big disparity between the two, as Sanders was viewed as the bigger star in college.

As for NIL value and worth, the two are much closer.

Who makes more money in NIL deals, Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders?

Even before the two Colorado standouts were drafted, they were each stars in college football. Sanders was known for his flashy persona and ability to win games as a quarterback. Hunter was a unicorn, playing as a star on both sides of the field as a receiver and corner.

Since the two were popular college football athletes during their college careers, they both earned a good amount of NIL money. According to on3.com, Sanders just tops Hunter in NIL valuation, by but less than $1 million.

Sanders’ value is listed at $6.5 million compared to Hunter’s total of $5.7 million. While he was an NIL topper in college, things have shifted for Sanders as he lost millions of dollars in his rookie deal and will have to compete for a spot in a crowded Browns quarterback room. Meanwhile, Hunter is expected to be a two-way starter in Jacksonville and seems like he’s the superstar the franchise desperately needed.

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Potential NIL Executive Order Could Impact UCLA

At the University of Alabama commencement ceremony, legendary head coach Nick Saban gave a public address last Thursday before welcoming President Donald Trump on stage, before Trump gave his own remarks. According to The Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey, Rachel Bachman and Laine Higgins, in a meeting set up by former Auburn head coach and […]

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19 minutes ago

May 3, 2025

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According to The Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey, Rachel Bachman and Laine Higgins, in a meeting set up by former Auburn head coach and current U.S. Senator from Alabama Tommy Tuberville, Saban spoke with Trump regarding NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) with the belief that Trump could issue an executive order regarding it.

Tuberville laid out his goal of the meeting on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to sit down with Coach Saban,” he said. “President Trump wants to help on this NIL. I don’t know how he can do it through an executive order. But possibly we can sit down and talk some insight of what Coach Saban thinks about it, what I think about it and we can come up with some sort of agreement because right now it’s in a tailspin.”

Saban, a massive critic of NIL, has found its implementation, plus its use with the transfer portal, detrimental to the game and to the development of players as players and as people.

While the White House has yet to make a formal statement regarding their intentions with NIL, rumors are circling that a potential executive order would undo years of legislation regarding the issue.

What exactly that means remains to be seen, but UCLA, like all collegiate football programs, may be preparing for a new frontier in a sport already on the Western Front.

Here’s the deal. If Trump issues an executive order, the order may challenge the fundamental balance of the U.S. executive branch and the judicial branch, with the result either defining or redefining the roles and powers of each branch.

The order’s enforcement may be called into question, considering the NCAA is not a federal entity, they are an association. However, some members of the association are funded by the federal government.

Whichever way the pendulum swings, if an executive order is issued, things are going to get sticky quickly. Without any guidelines on what reform may look like, UCLA must be ready for changes at a moment’s notice, as college football is one signature away from looking very different from what it is right now.

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Trump considering executive order to regulate NIL after meeting with Nick Saban: report

Name, image and likeness is taking college sports by storm, and it might take the government to slow it down. After meeting with Alabama head coach Nick Saban Thursday, President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an executive order to regulate NIL deals in college athletics. According to The Wall Street Journal, Saban told Trump the […]

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1 hour ago

May 3, 2025

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Name, image and likeness is taking college sports by storm, and it might take the government to slow it down.

After meeting with Alabama head coach Nick Saban Thursday, President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an executive order to regulate NIL deals in college athletics.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Saban told Trump the influx of money has hurt college sports. Saban does not want to halt NIL payments but wants them “reformed.”

In an appearance on Fox News Channel last year, Saban urged Congress to step in and make NIL “equal across the board.”

“And I think that should still exist for all players, but not just a pay-for-play system like we have now where whoever raises the most money in their collective can pay the most for the players, which is not a level playing field. I think in any competitive venue, you want to have some guidelines that gives everyone an equal opportunity to have a chance to be successful,” he said.

Saban said the NCAA “can handle” NIL and whatever changes are necessary, but Congress “needs to” add “national legislation.”

President Trump gave the commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday. AP

“Now, we just have the state legislation — and every state is different — that would protect the NCAA from litigation once we establish guidelines for the future of college athletics. But the litigation is what got us to this point right now,” Saban said. “We have to have some protection from litigation. I don’t know if it’s antitrust laws or whatever.

“I’m not versed enough on all that to really make a recommendation. But I know we need some kind of federal standard and guidelines that allows people to enforce their own rules.”

The NCAA last week passed rules by which colleges would be allowed to pay athletes as a result of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer.

President Trump met with former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban on Thursday. Getty Images

Earlier this week, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said “if anyone” can help regulate NIL, “it’s President Trump.”

Saban introduced Trump Thursday at an event for Alabama’s graduating students, where Trump gave a speech. In the speech, Trump raved about Alabama’s athletic programs, saying the school is a place “where legends are made.”

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Softball Closes Out Season Hosting Ohio on Saturday and Sunday

Story Links KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan softball team wraps up the 2025 season on Saturday and Sunday, hosting Ohio. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a 12 p.m. start on Sunday. All three games will be streamed live at […]

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May 3, 2025

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan softball team wraps up the 2025 season on Saturday and Sunday, hosting Ohio. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a 12 p.m. start on Sunday.

All three games will be streamed live at www.wmubroncos.com/watch and live stats are available at www.wmustats.com. Tickets can be purchased at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.

SPECIAL SATURDAY
Between Saturday’s doubleheader, the Broncos will take time to honor the 1984 MAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship team. The 1984 team went 39-19 overall and 10-2 in MAC play. The group brought in the program’s second-ever MAC Regular Season Championship and then the program’s first MAC Tournament Title.

THANK YOU SENIORS
Prior to the start of Sunday’s game, Western Michigan will honor its five seniors: Riley Dittmar, Jensen Gremillion, Payton Kelly, Kailey O’Connor and Taylor Wolfe. The group has combined to appear in 494 games for Western Michigan, driving in 125 runs, hitting 21 home runs, recording 15 wins on the mound and three saves.

The group has also produced 81 victories for the Broncos over the past four seasons.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio heads into the weekend with a chance to win the MAC Regular Season Championship with a 34-15 overall record and 17-6 in conference play.

Sophomore Brenna Farmer leads the team with a .354 batting average, 56 hits, 12 doubles and is second on the team with 41 RBIs. Emma Hoffner is tied for the team lead with four home runs and is just ahead of Farmer with 43 RBIs. Ohio’s hitters have combined for 145 walks to just 154 strikeouts. The team has an on-base percentage of .773.

Anna Wise and Skipp Miller have each started 19 games on the season. Miller is 16-6 with 13 complete games and six shutouts. Wise is 10-5 and has a team-best 2.45 ERA.

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Iowa basketball coach Ben McCollum agrees to 6-year contract with starting pay of $3.35M

Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum agreed to a six-year, $22.75 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 season, according… Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum agreed to a six-year, $22.75 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 season, according to the memorandum of understanding he signed last month. The document, obtained Friday through an […]

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1 hour ago

May 3, 2025

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Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum agreed to a six-year, $22.75 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 season, according…

Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum agreed to a six-year, $22.75 million contract that runs through the 2030-31 season, according to the memorandum of understanding he signed last month.

The document, obtained Friday through an Associated Press public records request, outlines a pay package that lists McCollum’s base salary at $500,000 each year with supplemental pay that increases annually. His formal contract was not available for release, the university said.

McCollum will earn $3.35 million in his first year, with his compensation rising to $4.1 million in the sixth year.

McCollum would be in line for six-figure bonuses if the Hawkeyes reach the NCAA Sweet 16, topped by $400,000 for winning the national championship. A Big Ten regular-season title would earn him $75,000 and a conference tournament championship $50,000. Additional bonuses are tied to his players’ academic performance.

He will have a salary pool of about $2.1 million for assistant coaches.

McCollum, whose hiring was announced March 24, led Drake to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships and a win in the NCAA Tournament in his only season with the Bulldogs.

Athletic director Beth Goetz announced McCollum’s hiring 10 days after she fired Fran McCaffery and two days after McCollum wrapped up a 31-4 season with a loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the West Regional.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Friday’s Game Versus Tulsa Postponed

Story Links TULSA, Okla. – Due to field conditions from previous weather, the Friday, 6 p.m. ET matchup between the No. 24 Florida Atlantic softball team and Tulsa will not go as scheduled. Instead, the two teams will play in a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first pitch still scheduled for 3 […]

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1 hour ago

May 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TULSA, Okla. – Due to field conditions from previous weather, the Friday, 6 p.m. ET matchup between the No. 24 Florida Atlantic softball team and Tulsa will not go as scheduled.

Instead, the two teams will play in a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first pitch still scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The second game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the series opener.

Sunday’s game remains at 1 p.m. ET. All games are on ESPN+.

For further updates, visit fausports.com or follow the Owls on social media @FAUSoftball.

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