NIL
Georgia Southern Athletes Find New Opportunities in the NIL Era
When the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) lifted the ban on student-athletes profiting from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in 2021, the college sports landscape shifted dramatically.
By 2024–25, the NIL market had grown to $1.67 billion, more than double its size just two years earlier. National projections are even more striking, with NIL-related payments expected to reach $1.9 billion for college football players alone in 2025, which is almost double from the previous year.
At Georgia Southern University, where resources are different and recruiting budgets are leaner, the approach has been grounded, structured, and educationally focused.
“At Georgia Southern, athletes can use their Name, Image, and Likeness to earn money while they are a student,” explained Amy Hughes, the Director of Athlete Brand Management and Licensing. Hughes oversees NIL education for nearly 430 Eagle student-athletes. “The key is that compensation must be tied to a specific activity, such as signing an autograph, attending meet-and-greets, or posting a product endorsement on social media.”
Georgia Southern athletes use platforms like GATA Spotlight, powered by Opendorse, to connect with both local and national brands. Outside platforms such as Postgame also offer direct corporate deals and group licensing efforts, like NIL merchandise or inclusion in EA Sports College Football 26.
Not every NIL deal is national in scope. Local eateries and businesses often provide meals or products in exchange for promotion. There are also opportunities tied to team sponsorships, where athletes may appear in ads or at events as part of the package.
Hughes emphasizes that NIL is about so much more than just dollars. For athletes, it’s often the only way to work with a schedule dominated by practice, games, and academics. “NIL opportunities give them a way to earn extra income on their own terms,” she said. And beyond the money, she adds, “working with brands teaches them marketing, negotiation, and financial skills they can carry into internships and careers after graduation.”
Still, NIL isn’t a quick and easy ticket to riches. Nationally, only around 1% of athletes earn more than $50,000 from NIL, highlighting the limited scale of earnings for most. Hughes wants to make it clear that college athletes are not getting rich overnight. “Most athletes use their NIL earnings for everyday expenses—like traveling home, car repairs, or bills.”
The reality is that top-tier programs lead mid-major schools in terms of NIL revenue. For example, Power 5 athletes earn on average $43,000 annually, a staggering margin over athletes at Group of 5 or smaller institutions.
To remain competitive, Georgia Southern is investing in awareness. Hughes noted, “Our entire athletic department is here to support athletes and their families as they navigate NIL opportunities.” Still, building a wider base of local sponsors and informed fans will be key to expanding opportunities.
For now, NIL at Georgia Southern remains an evolving experiment, grounded in education, real-world skill-building, and practical earnings. As the system continues to evolve, the foundation they’ve built may offer a model for sustainable NIL programs at mid-major schools.
The last of the Power Four college football head coaching openings remains available at Michigan.
The Wolverines decided to part ways with head coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10 due to inappropriate relations with a staffer. Michigan had its sights set on Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham and Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.
Though nothing was made official, Fisch was the first to bow out of the race. Alabama’s College Football Playoff victory over Oklahoma eliminated DeBoer from the conversation, and Dillingham inked an extension with Arizona State on Saturday.
With all of those candidates off the board, one who has emerged in the next round is current Wolverines interim Biff Poggi. The interim said he had been interviewed for the job on multiple occasions this offseason.
Biff Poggi says he’s had multiple interviews for Michigan’s HC position. He also has some blunt words about the program’s shortcomings under Sherrone Moore, calling Michigan a “malfunctioning organization.”
“Everything that happens in this building has to be reevaluated.”
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) December 22, 2025
Poggi began his college football coaching career as an assistant with stops at Brown, Temple and the Citadel in the late 1980s. He coached at his high school alma mater, The Gilman School, as an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1988 to 1995. He spent the next 20 seasons as Gilman’s head coach before returning to the college ranks.
The now 65-year-old spent two prior stints with the Wolverines under Jim Harbaugh. He worked as an analyst with the 2016 team and served as Michigan’s associate head coach in 2021 and 2022.
Poggi was hired away from Michigan to succeed Will Healy as Charlotte’s next head coach in the 2023 offseason. The 49ers were 3-9 in Poggi’s first year at the helm, tying for eleventh place in the American Athletic Conference.
After a 3-7 start to the 2024 season, Charlotte decided to part ways with Poggi. The 49ers hired Tim Albin as his replacement for 2025.
This will not be the first time Poggi has served as the Wolverines’ interim head coach. He was the interim for Michigan’s games against Central Michigan and Nebraska.
The Wolverines accepted an invitation to the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. No. 18 Michigan (9-3, 7-2) will face No. 13 Texas (9-3, 6-2) on Dec. 31 (3 p.m. EST, ABC).
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Bob Chesney was hired at UCLA at the beginning of December, with the official announcement released Dec. 6th.
He spent two whirlwind days — Dec. 8th-10th — in Westwood for his introductory press conference and a few other media moments.
He then spent most of his time back in Harrisonburg, Virginia, preparing his James Madison team to face Oregon in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.
On Saturday, the Dukes lost, valiantly, to Oregon, 51–34. That ended the JMU season and Chesney’s coaching tenure there.
And the Bob Chesney era at UCLA begins.
Of course, the coach was doing UCLA-related things for the past three weeks, but now he’ll be fully focused and engaged as UCLA’s new coach.
What to do, what to do?
One of college football’s greatest rivalry games is set to come to an abrupt end as it was about to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
The annual Notre Dame vs. USC football rivalry game is no more after the schools failed to reach an agreement on future matchups, ending one of college football’s most recognizable traditions, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
Representatives from both schools had been involved in negotiations to preserve the rivalry over the last several months, but could not agree on terms going forward, at least temporarily ending a football series that had been ongoing since 1926.
Gone, but not for good?
Yes, there is some hope that we could see USC and Notre Dame on the same field in the future.
Administrators from both schools did reach an agreement to resurrect the series as soon as the 2030 season, according to the report.
Until now, just a world war and a global pandemic had prevented Notre Dame and USC from playing each other every season, but now the pressures of the modern college football season, and its postseason format, appear to have played a role.
Whose fault is this?
Concerns about scheduling and how the game would affect College Football Playoff positioning were the decisive factors in bringing an end to the rivalry, according to the report.
Most of that concern seemed to arise from the USC side of the equation, which felt that certain precedents established by the selection committee in punishing teams for losses put the program in a disadvantageous position.
USC hinted this would come
USC head coach Lincoln Riley signaled as much when speaking on the future of the rivalry last year.
“There [have] been a lot of teams that sacrifice rivalry games,” Riley told reporters at Big Ten Media Days last summer.
“As we get into this playoff structure, and if it changes or not, we get into this new conference, we’re going to learn some about this as we go and what the right and best track is to winning a national championship, that’s going to evolve.”
Still, even amid those comments, reps from USC signaled a desire to keep the Notre Dame rivalry, and Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was adamant on keeping the matchup, too, reflecting the position of his school.
Instead, Notre Dame is poised to finalize a home-and-home series with BYU over the next two seasons that will take the place of USC on its schedule, according to the Yahoo report.
We saw this coming
A recent Sports Illustrated report indicated that USC was hesitant to pledge itself to a long-term agreement with Notre Dame, citing concerns over the future of the College Football Playoff format and the Trojans’ existing schedule and travel demands.
“I want to play USC every year because I think it’s great for college football, that rivalry, USC-Notre Dame,” Marcus Freeman said.
“Before I even got to Notre Dame, everybody watched that game. Everybody remembers moments from that game that just stick out in their mind.”
Another college football tradition bites the dust
Losing a historic rivalry of this pedigree would be another stark reminder of the very strict conditions that schools have to work in in a new environment where playoff selection, and appeasing the College Football Playoff committee, is king.
Known as the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football, USC and Notre Dame have met almost every year since 1926, with World War II and the Covid pandemic being the only exceptions.
Now, to that list of historical anomalies, the very format of modern college football itself could be the decisive factor that puts this great rivalry on the shelf.
(Yahoo)
Read more from College Football HQ
The Oregon Ducks are coming off of a 51-34 win over the James Madison Duke at Autzen Stadium on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks now advance to face the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the CFP Quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. on Jan. 1, but two more members of the Oregon secondary won’t be in attendance.
Per reports from On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Oregon cornerback Sione Laulea is entering the portal and won’t be with the team for the rest of the CFP. Joining him in the portal will be Oregon safety Kingston Lopa, who will have three years of eligibility left. He also won’t be with the Ducks during what hopes to be a run to the National Championship.
Laulea, who arrived to Eugene before the 2024 season, was the top JUCO cornerback prospect out of San Mateo College headed into his first year at Oregon.
Sione Laulea Chose Oregon for Development
He told the media before this season that he chose the Ducks because he thought it was the best fit for him from a developmental standpoint.
“I transferred from junior college, and the biggest fit for me was just development, because I feel like I used two years, so with two years left in eligibility, I feel like I had to make the most out of my two years,” he said. “So the place that was going to develop me the most and where I fit most in the scheme, and I felt like this was a place, especially with the coaching staff, with Tosh (Lupoi) being such an aggressive caller, and (Chris Hampton) as a secondary coach.”
“I feel like it’s been great,” he continued. “As you guys know, there’s not a lot of experience in our back end, specifically the corner room, but there’s some dogs either way, whether we touch the field or not. You can see it clearly in practice that everyone’s making plays on the ball, and it’s pretty much neck and neck.”
MORE: Three Biggest Takeaways From Oregon’s Playoff Win Over James Madison
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However, things never quite worked out for Laulea. He appeared in 10 games with Oregon while posting just 10 total tackles (five solo), three pass breakups and one pick. His only interception as a Duck came in the 38-9 win over No. 20 Illinois last season.
As for Lopa, he arrived to Oregon as a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class out of Grant Union in Sacramento, CA.
He received some notable praise from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning during the spring.
“It’s just what he does every day in practice. You know, the part that we get to see, and Kingston to be an unbelievable player for us. You know, he’s had a really good spring so far. But you know, he earned those moments by what he did in practice,” Lanning said.
Lopa appeared in 13 games this season while posting 12 total tackles and one pass breakup.
Florida wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery is planning to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. He caught three passes for 26 yards in 2025.
Montgomery played high school football at Miami Central (West Palm Beach, FL), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 262 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that complies all major recruiting media services.
He had a bunch of different premier programs interested in his services as a recruit. We’ll see who comes calling this time around for the wide receiver.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
More on Naeshaun Montgomery, NCAA Transfer Portal
Meanwhile, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee passed dates for the one-time-only college football transfer portal back earlier in October. As it stands, the 2025-26 college football transfer portal will last 15 days. It’ll span Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, the NCAA announced.
Moving forward, the entire Division I football notification of transfer windows is slated for Jan 2-16. As has been the previous standard, athletes on College Football Playoff teams still playing would have 5 days beginning the day after their team’s final game to enter the transfer portal.
Additionally, players have 15 days to enter the portal, but they’re not under a deadline to commit when they enter. Traditionally, the deadline for committing is how late a school can enroll a player through admissions.
One caveat is that if a head coach is fired, the transfer portal will not open for players immediately. The NCAA revealed that moving forward, players will only have 15 days to enter the portal after a coaching change, instead of the former allocation of 30 days. Players will also have to wait five days after a new coach is hired or announced.
Finally, graduate transfers also cannot enter the transfer portal until Jan. 2 with the new one-time-only portal window. All these new guidelines are bound to shake things up, but the transfer portal will still remain as interesting and entertaining as ever.
Dec. 22, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET
- Some Tennessee football players are expected to negotiate for higher NIL pay after strong performances in the 2025 season.
- Since July, schools can directly pay athletes through revenue sharing, in addition to third-party NIL deals.
- Players who have likely increased their value include DeSean Bishop, Braylon Staley, and several standout freshmen.
- NIL negotiations have become a regular part of the college football calendar, influencing player decisions on transfers and the NFL draft.
Some Tennessee football players will negotiate a raise in NIL pay after overperforming in the 2025 season.
Those discussions have become part of the college football calendar in this era of frequent player movement, and money is a driving force in big decisions.
Negotiations likely started long before No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). And they’ll continue when the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2.
The top players with eligibility remaining consider declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. Some players consider testing the transfer market by entering the portal. And overperforming players hope to cash in with a pay raise from their school.
Since July, schools have been allowed to pay athletes directly with revenue shares, essentially a royalty for use of their name, image and likeness. Players can earn additional money in third-party NIL pay from collectives, corporations and business owners.
Some players get raises. Other players get pay cuts.
Schools pay players directly under a salary cap of sorts. The payroll works out to about $13.5 million for each college football team, or approximately $170,000 per scholarship player. Those distributions and payroll strategies vary between teams.
And third-party NIL pay can double the earnings of the best players.
None of that payroll information is available to the public, which means it’s impossible to know whether a player is overpaid, underpaid or fairly paid. But it’s reasonable to believe their pay corresponds to their projected level of play.
And if they exceed those expectations, a raise is in order. With that being said, let’s take an educated guess at which players have increased their value.
DeSean Bishop
No Tennessee player has increased his value over the past year as much as running back DeSean Bishop. In January, the former Karns High standout was promoted from walk-on to scholarship player. That likely didn’t come with a big NIL payday because he wasn’t even a starter yet.
But Bishop earned that scholarship, and then some, in the 2025 season. He was named All-SEC second team after rushing for 983 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season. If Bishop wasn’t paid NIL this season, he certainly will next season. And if he was paid this season, it likely didn’t align with an all-conference season.
Braylon Staley
Braylon Staley showed promise heading into the 2025 season, but he was unproven. That quickly changed when he played well in UT’s biggest games and earned SEC Freshman of the Year with 64 receptions, 806 yards and six TDs.
UT may have already paid Staley a solid NIL amount. After all, he was a four-star recruit and top 100 player coming out of high school. But it’s doubtful that Staley was paid like one of the SEC’s top receivers, which he clearly now is.
Wendell Moe
This one is debatable, but leverage could come into play. Wendell Moe was a solid pick-up in the portal in 2025, but he turned into an AP All-SEC performer.
It’s difficult to predict how much UT paid Moe in the 2025 season without knowing the transfer market for his position. If he was coveted by multiple teams, Moe may have been paid well and simply played to that level.
But now Moe has proven to be a good SEC offensive lineman and potential NFL draft prospect. That could land him at least a moderate NIL raise to return in 2026.
Jesse Perry
In the 2024 class, offensive lineman Jesse Perry was rated fifth among five offensive linemen signed by Tennessee, according to 247Sports Composite. He was a three-star recruit.
NIL pay doesn’t always correspond to recruit ratings. But Perry’s moderate grades indicate that he had to prove his value on the field before earning a notable NIL check.
Perry did that in the 2025 season. He started 11 games, including seven at right tackle and four at right guard, and earned Freshman All-America honors.
Granted, his future NIL pay will depend on whether he’s a surefire starter or a versatile backup, but Perry is certainly in a stronger position than a year ago.
Ty Redmond
Like Perry, cornerback Ty Redmond probably entered the 2025 season with a low NIL value and had to prove himself. In the 2025 class, Redmond was rated fourth among five defensive backs signed by Tennessee, according to 247Sports Composite. He was a three-star recruit.
But Redmond, after some early growing pains, turned into a promising young cornerback. He was an All-SEC third-team selection and Freshman All-SEC performer. He tied for the SEC lead with 13 passes defended and led the Vols with three interceptions.
Regardless of what Redmond earned in 2025, he is in a stronger position after his freshman season.
Jordan Ross
This one is more speculative than the rest on this list. After all, edge rusher Jordan Ross was a five-star signee in the 2024 class, so he may already command high pay in NIL money based on his recruit rating.
That being said, Ross is on this list because of his play, his position and his perceived essential status in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defensive scheme. Knowles values edge rushers, and Ross is UT’s most dynamic.
Before being slowed by injuries, Ross showed flashes as a playmaker in the mold of former UT edge rushers Byron Young, James Pearce and Joshua Josephs. He had three tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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