NIL
Alabama high school NIL bill to bring NCAA
As state legislation goes, Alabama HB489 is an awfully quick read. The proposed bill that would allow high school athletes in Alabama to profit from NIL is less than three pages. Less than 500 words. By contrast, try muddling through SB112, a 98-pager on 2026 education funding, without your eyes crossing and glazing over in […]
As state legislation goes, Alabama HB489 is an awfully quick read.
The proposed bill that would allow high school athletes in Alabama to profit from NIL is less than three pages. Less than 500 words. By contrast, try muddling through SB112, a 98-pager on 2026 education funding, without your eyes crossing and glazing over in confusion. Too often, new laws are written without much priority on the language being easily digestible for the public. So after breezing through the NIL bill in under five minutes, I appreciated its simplicity, despite a gaping hole in its directive. Proposed by Rep. Jeremy Gray (D), who represents parts of Lee and Russell counties, the bill is still a long way from Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk.
It’s also a long way from real-world practicality.
It establishes guidelines for high school athletes profiting from NIL contracts that can’t possibly be enforced. There is a provision that compensation can’t be contingent on athletic performance or achievement; in other words, players can’t be paid for playing well, or playing at all. Another provision says that compensation can’t be used as an incentive to enroll in a school, or remain at a school. Also, NIL contracts can’t be provided by the schools themselves, or by agents representing schools.
All this sounds great in theory, of course, but who will police these no-no’s? And how?
If — no, when — someone chooses to break this law by paying a player for touchdowns, or paying a player to transfer to another school, all they have to do is execute the arrangement without leaving behind a paper trail that proves the misdeed. The contract, of course, would look legitimate, but the real terms of the deal could be in the handshake. Aaaand POOF! — instant plausible deniability.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association would be placed in the impossible position of having eyes and ears on the real motivations behind every athlete’s NIL deal. It would be the ASHAA getting dragged into court over violations and, in the likely absence of hard proof, losing its arguments. Only the dumbest of violators would be caught and held accountable.
In that sense, it’s no different than the federal courts that established NIL, only to leave it to the NCAA to prevent inevitable abuse. We all know how that turned out, right? When the NCAA released its very first guidelines on NIL in the summer of 2021, which said it would “preserve the commitment to avoid pay-for-play and improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school,” the laughter echoed from coast to coast. It was never taken seriously, because trampling the rules without a trace was way too easy. And sure enough, pay for play became an instant reality.
The Alabama high school NIL bill fails to recognize the same universal truth that college NIL laws fail to recognize: morality can’t be legislated. It flings open a door for corrupt actors and all but invites them into high school athletics, because a law without enforceability is really just a suggestion. That doesn’t make it any different than the high school NIL laws in other states. But it makes it no better, either.
This bill places a dumpster fire at the front door of the AHSAA, rings the doorbell, and runs away.
Simplicity’s great, but HB489 needs a few teeth, too.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
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How the NCAA House Settlement Will Change College Football | Nebraska Football & NIL Discussion
In this episode of Monday Night Therapy, host Minnie Hunt is joined by Pigskin PD (Peter Bartell) and law professor Adam Lamparello for an in-depth look at the NCAA House Settlement and its massive impact on the future of college football. The panel breaks down how the new system allows universities to pay up to […]
In this episode of Monday Night Therapy, host Minnie Hunt is joined by Pigskin PD (Peter Bartell) and law professor Adam Lamparello for an in-depth look at the NCAA House Settlement and its massive impact on the future of college football. The panel breaks down how the new system allows universities to pay up to $20.5 million annually to athletes, alongside NIL deals, and explores the legal, competitive, and Title IX ramifications. Adam explains why this structure may further widen the gap between powerhouse programs and smaller schools—sparking antitrust concerns and long legal battles.
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The conversation also dives into Nebraska football’s identity, the importance of returning to its physical, trench-dominant style, and head coach Matt Rhule’s efforts to rebuild the program. The group reflects on Nebraska legends like Tommy Frazier and Lawrence Phillips while discussing NIL’s broader impact on player movement, recruiting, and competitive balance across college football.
If you’re passionate about Nebraska football history, college football NIL, or the changing landscape of the sport, this is an essential discussion. Plus, hear some fun memories about the 1869 Rutgers-Princeton game and Nebraska’s storied quarterback legacy.
#NebraskaFootball #CollegeFootballHistory #NIL #NCAASettlement #GoBigRed
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College Athletes Are Getting Paid. Here’s What to Know.
College athletics has always been a business, but now the game has changed. Following Friday’s final approval from U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken settling a trio of antitrust cases against the NCAA and power conferences—commonly referred to as the House settlement—college athletes are set to be paid, yes paid, directly from their universities. The notion […]
College athletics has always been a business, but now the game has changed.
Following Friday’s final approval from U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken settling a trio of antitrust cases against the NCAA and power conferences—commonly referred to as the House settlement—college athletes are set to be paid, yes paid, directly from their universities. The notion of amateurism isn’t quite dead, but it’s pretty much been put out to pasture.
What do you need to know about this historic settlement? Here are key answers to common questions about this turning point in college athletics.
In 2020, Arizona State Sun Devils swimmer Grant House became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s rules surrounding name, image and likeness. An injunction was issued that would allow for the sharing of broadcast revenue that was received by the various conferences. This antitrust case eventually wound its way through the court before a settlement was announced between the associated parties in ’24, which the judge approved of in June.
In addition to millions of dollars in damages related to backpay of NIL rights for athletes as far back as 2016, the $2.8 billion settlement also calls for revenue sharing directly with athletes for the first time. While the agreement covers the next 10 years, it remains clear to all involved that there is no putting this genie back in the bottle and this will be the norm moving forward.
Schools are permitted to share up to $20.5 million with athletes each year. How that money is divided up lies with the schools, but most are expected to follow a similar formula as the back-damages payout with 75% directed toward football, 15% to men’s basketball players, 5% going to women’s basketball players and 5% to the remaining players.
“We’ve talked a little bit about individual sports but we haven’t set exact percentages,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said. “I know for all five of us [power conferences], no one is forgetting about their Olympic sports and continuing to make sure that we invest at a high level for all our sports.”
Even within those tiers, the money is expected to vary widely, with the star quarterback naturally expected to make many more times than what the school hands out to the sixth man on the basketball team.
“It is a campus decision,” reiterated Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.
Perhaps the most tangible of aspects to the settlement is the arrival of roster limits. While in the past schools were capped in terms of the number of scholarships they handed out for a particular sport—the limit in FBS football being set at 85 for the past several decades—will soon be replaced by a hard ceiling in terms of the number of players they have on a team. This can result in some sports seeing both more players involved and the option of receiving full scholarships instead of partial ones. However, there may wind up being a reduction in certain spots. Only a handful of power-conference schools have announced plans to fully expand their rosters to include the maximum amount of scholarships handed out. Most major universities are planning to expand their athletic offers in some form or another starting as early as this fall.
Business in the NIL world is set to change significantly as a result of the settlement, with the current Wild West being replaced by a structured workflow for deals, players and the schools—which can now also help players get additional NIL deals. The most notable new change is that for any deal signed by athletes with a value of over $600, the details must be sent to a new, third-party clearinghouse dubbed NIL Go. The entity is being run by consulting firm Deloitte and will attempt to regulate the market somewhat by determining whether deals are within a range of the nominal fair market value.
For example, a Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback at a team in Los Angeles is going to get a higher-end deal than a backup left guard in a Midwestern college town. If anything ranges beyond such limits, such as some of the current deals with school collectives that are paying out millions to some players, those will get flagged by the system. Players can then either alter their payouts or structure of the deal, or take things to arbitration in order to get cleared. If it isn’t cleared, they could be suspended from playing.
Surprisingly, a lot. At the annual gathering of athletics directors and administrators in Orlando just a few days after the settlement was approved, a constant refrain in the wake of the ruling was that the broader set of athletic departments impacted by the settlement had been planning for its go-ahead for years. While true, there’s a difference between game-planning and executing a new multimillion enterprise for the first time in a 25-day span from start to finish.
Among key questions still to be fleshed out and publicized, there’s the matter of the College Sports Commission (CSC), a newly formed LLC set up by the power conferences to essentially administer the settlement’s finer points. At a high level, that means ensuring schools are in compliance with the overall cap to spend on athlete payments and will also include an oversight function when it comes to third-party deals sent through the NIL Go system. It includes building up a new enforcement arm, set to be overseen by the newly hired CEO, Bryan Seeley, a former MLB executive who will be tasked with handing out punishments that are supposed to range from fines to suspensions. While there are varying degrees of skepticism, the settlement provides an avenue for a school to see its revenue-sharing number decreased, its head coaches suspended and its players suffer an eligibility hit should any stray beyond the guardrails that are currently set.
Yep. The NCAA has wiped away hundreds of antiquated rules as of July 1 and all but turned over enforcement in college sports to the CSC with a handful of exceptions (eligibility, academics, rare instances like a sign-stealing scandal, etc.). When it comes to the bulk of issues that college sports has had in the past when it comes to paying athletes, the policing of such matters has been fully turned over to this outside entity with final decision making resting with Seeley.
“His experience is really unique. To have league experience was a big part of this,” said Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who worked with Seeley at Major League Baseball. “Part of what we do is manage a lot of constituents and, in Bryan’s role, you’re dealing with 30 clubs and very competitive areas that he’s involved in in making decisions. That’s very similar to what he’ll have to do in this role. Decisions that get made by this enforcement entity, ultimately, will have competitive outcomes.”
“I am very confident in Bryan, Deloitte, LBiSoftware and the new model that’s in place so that we have a bright future in collegiate athletics,” Yormark added. “I’ll also say that our schools want rules. And we’re providing rules. And we will be governed by those rules. And if we break those rules, you know, the ramifications will be punitive.”
In short, nothing. There will still be noon kickoffs in the East every Saturday this fall and plenty of toes meeting leather late into the night each weekend. The biggest difference is likely to come in the bank accounts of those players who you see taking the field in football or the court in men’s and women’s basketball, most of whom will now be getting a paycheck with a university logo on it for the first time.
More lawsuits for one, with the settlement itself likely leading to a slew of incoming cases surrounding thorny issues such as Title IX and limits on compensation.
More pressing might be a push to get the settlement and some of the bigger changes in college athletics codified into law as part of an ongoing congressional push. Numerous leaders in college athletics have already made several trips to Washington, D.C., to discuss such issues with various elected officials, but tangible progress in such areas remains fleeting so far.
“They do have the ability to get things done, even in difficult political times,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I think this is a nonpartisan issue, candidly. I don’t think this is about drawing lines between Democrats and Republicans, or the House and Senate. I think this is an opportunity for our governmental leaders, our political leaders, to come together around solutions.”
We’ll see if that winds up coming to fruition, but the bottom line is that college athletics has entered a new era and the ripple effects from the House settlement will reshape the future of the endeavor for many years to come.
More College Sports on Sports Illustrated
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NCAA settlement fallout: McNeese has NIL plan as it enters new economic era
NCAA settlement fallout: McNeese has NIL plan as it enters new economic era Published 11:10 am Tuesday, June 10, 2025 The term student-athlete died on Friday. For years, the NCAA has attempted to distinguish its players from professionals, emphasizing that they are students first. That mirage now seems lost forever. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken […]
NCAA settlement fallout: McNeese has NIL plan as it enters new economic era
Published 11:10 am Tuesday, June 10, 2025
The term student-athlete died on Friday.
For years, the NCAA has attempted to distinguish its players from professionals, emphasizing that they are students first. That mirage now seems lost forever.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval to the landmark settlement in the House vs. NCAA antitrust lawsuit, which had been ongoing for five years, ending nearly a year of negotiations and revisions. The $2.8 billion, 10-year settlement will pay past players for missed name, image and likeness opportunities and allow colleges to pay current players directly starting July 1.
As schools of all levels throughout the country scramble to figure out what’s next, McNeese State officials say they are ready for the future.
“It’s a new and exciting time for college athletics,” McNeese Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer said. “My staff and I have been working for over a year to prepare. We’ve considered how these changes will impact McNeese athletics and also how we can best position ourselves.”
Schroyer said McNeese will buy into the program, while other Football Championship Subdivision and Southland Conference schools will consider opting out. Houston Christian is likely one of those.
“We’ve decided to opt in and bring our collective/NIL in-house and participate in revenue sharing,” he said. “We’ll keep the same scholarship numbers this first year for each sport. During this first year, we will evaluate both our financial situation and the national landscape.”
With the NIL becoming entirely in-house, the Ranch Collective, which previously ran the program, will transition into a new role, said Keifer Ackley, assistant AD for NIL and Student-Athlete at McNeese.
“This will allow us to streamline the process,” Ackley said. “This will make us more transparent.”
The Ranch Collective is likely to transition into a more marketing-focused tool for the university, he said.
For now, it appears all programs will remain, but this is a fluid situation on all levels, and McNeese’s goal, Schroyer said, remains to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level if the opportunity arises. There is also no telling what will come next as lawsuits are expected to be filed over a variety of concerns.
“Sometimes these decisions aren’t popular with everyone, and that’s OK,” Schroyer said. “I get it. The only constant in life is change; college athletics have undergone significant changes in the last few years, and this trend is likely to continue.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote an open letter after the settlement:
“Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports,” Baker wrote. “This new framework that enables schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes and establishes clear and specific rules to regulate third-party NIL agreements marks a huge step forward for college sports.”
Earlier this spring, Baker spoke to McNeese athletes about the future of college sports and seemed shocked by the number of players who had transferred to the school.
As part of the settlement, McNeese, along with the other FCS schools, will be required to pay $180,000 this year and between $25,000 and $300,000, which the NCAA will deduct from the funds it provides to the school.
Helping to pay for that will be a 12-game football schedule the FCS is expected to add in future years. The final decision on the extra game will be made in the last week of June.
The settlement is a victory for power conference schools, which easily have the resources to cover the money and compete in what is now an unlimited bidding war.
“The approval of the House settlement agreement represents a significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports, two of the Southeastern Conference’s top priorities,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “As the journey to modernize collegiate sports continues, we remain focused on identifying and implementing innovative opportunities for our student-athletes across all sports while maintaining the core values that make collegiate athletics uniquely meaningful.”
While it’s not clear how it will all play out, McNeese says it expects to pivot with whatever comes next.
NIL
Texas A&M transfer WR has reportedly earned $2.5 million in NIL earnings
Texas A&M’s most significant offseason addition is a matter of debate. Still, in my humble opinion, it is former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, who is by far the most dynamic receiver on the 2025 roster and provides starting quarterback Marcel Reed a true No. 1 option, which has been lacking since Ainais Smith […]
Texas A&M’s most significant offseason addition is a matter of debate. Still, in my humble opinion, it is former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, who is by far the most dynamic receiver on the 2025 roster and provides starting quarterback Marcel Reed a true No. 1 option, which has been lacking since Ainais Smith departed for the NFL.
Concepcion is one of the best receivers after the catch, averaging 11-plus yards per reception during his 2023 sophomore season. While his production dropped off slightly in 2024, the North Carolina native is poised for his best season yet in OC Collin Klein’s offensive scheme. Off the field, Concepcion is cashing in like many of his college football counterparts in the new NIL era.
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According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Concepcion has secured $2.5 million in NIL earnings ahead of his first season with Texas A&M, working with Sports Representatives The Familie. This is unsurprising given his importance to the program and his talent level.
The House v. NCAA settlement was officially approved last Friday night, as every Power Four program will work with around $20.5 million of the school revenue with their respective college athletes, providing players like Concepcion the financial incentive while making things much clearer with each school directly paying each player.
During his last two seasons at North Carolina State, Concepcion recorded 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 356 rushing yards and two scores.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion has earned $2.5 million in NIL earnings
NIL
Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion has earned $2.5 million in NIL earnings
Texas A&M’s most significant offseason addition is a matter of debate. Still, in my humble opinion, it is former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, who is by far the most dynamic receiver on the 2025 roster and provides starting quarterback Marcel Reed a true No. 1 option, which has been lacking since Ainais Smith […]
Texas A&M’s most significant offseason addition is a matter of debate. Still, in my humble opinion, it is former NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, who is by far the most dynamic receiver on the 2025 roster and provides starting quarterback Marcel Reed a true No. 1 option, which has been lacking since Ainais Smith departed for the NFL.
Concepcion is one of the best receivers after the catch, averaging 11-plus yards per reception during his 2023 sophomore season. While his production dropped off slightly in 2024, the North Carolina native is poised for his best season yet in OC Collin Klein’s offensive scheme. Off the field, Concepcion is cashing in like many of his college football counterparts in the new NIL era.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Concepcion has secured $2.5 million in NIL earnings ahead of his first season with Texas A&M, working with Sports Representatives The Familie. This is unsurprising given his importance to the program and his talent level.
The House v. NCAA settlement was officially approved last Friday night, as every Power Four program will work with around $20.5 million of the school revenue with their respective college athletes, providing players like Concepcion the financial incentive while making things much clearer with each school directly paying each player.
During his last two seasons at North Carolina State, Concepcion recorded 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 356 rushing yards and two scores.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
NIL
Should Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress enter the MLB Draft?
The 2025 MLB Draft will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 13, and with the 2025 season over for a lot of college baseball players, the time now is shifted towards which players should enter the draft or stay in college for an extra season, or who should return to try and win a […]
The 2025 MLB Draft will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 13, and with the 2025 season over for a lot of college baseball players, the time now is shifted towards which players should enter the draft or stay in college for an extra season, or who should return to try and win a College World Series with their team. One of those players that has to make that decision will be Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets sophomore outfielder Drew Burress.
Burress has had a historic start to his college career, as he had one of the best freshmen seasons in not only Georgia Tech history, but also college baseball as a whole. Burress was named the NCAA Freshman of the year in 2024, and led the Yellow Jackets in five hitting categories that season. Then came 2025.
While some of his numbers did take a dip, Burress still had a phenomenal season, hitting 19 home runs and 23 doubles, as he propelled himself as one of the top prospects in the nation.
Burress now has the decision to stay with the Yellow Jackets or go to the MLB, where he will undoubtedly be a top five pick in the MLB Draft. If you ask me, I think Burress should go, and that’s simply because he deserves to be on an MLB roster.
Burress is going to be a star player at the next level, and I would want him to start that career as soon as he can, even if it means moving away from the Yellow Jackets.
I get the fans that want him to come back, but Burress is destined for so much more than what the Yellow Jackets can offer him at the collegiate level. Go to the big leagues and make us proud to have someone of your magnitude play on the big stage.
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