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Long before he steps his foot on an NBA court, Airious “Ace” Bailey is making ridiculous money in college basketball.

The tall man from Rutgers, likely a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, gets lots of eyes for his game skills and his top Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals that grow his brand fast.

Bailey’s NIL portfolio

Sportskeeda states that Bailey’s NIL is worth somehwere around $1.6 million, one of the top in the country. His great dunks and good scores make him worth a lot, drawing big sponsors and fan groups.

Bailey’s two big NIL links are:

• Nike: The huge sport brand signed Bailey in late 2024, making him a key young star of the brand.
• Knights of The Raritan: A group at Rutgers that helps student-athletes with deals, fan love, and ads.

This mix of big and local branding helps Bailey get fans all over global social media and at Rutgers too.

Already a big name

Bailey has an average of 17.6 points and got 7.2 rebounds a game in his first year, with a high shot rate of 46%. His 39-point game against Indiana not only made national and international headlines but proved he is among the NBA-level players.

But, his path to the draft had some ups and downs. He missed some team workouts, which got some bad talk but did not hurt his spot much in NBA scout eyes. They still see great potential in him.

What’s Bailey’s worth?

There is no confirmed amount or guess of Bailey’s worth, but hints say his money from NIL and ads could possibly put him over a million dollars, a big thing for a college player.

Financial analysts think that once he reaches a good spot in the NBA, Bailey could make more through:

• A multi-million contract NBA deal
• More ad deals on top of Nike
• New investements, media moves, and social media profit

College players financial present

Bailey’s rise shows the big money shift in college sports made by NIL changes. Players can now make money from their brand while in school. This changes how recruits see college and shifts the basketball money game.

As the NBA Draft awaits, Bailey will likely be a top 10 pick. However, financially speaking, he’s already at the top.

The Bottom Line

• The House settlement promises a new era of
  compensation for student-athletes – if it survives
  ongoing challenges.
• The new structure offers opportunities for marketers to combine
  school sponsorships with student-athlete NIL deals in seamless
  transactions.
• The College Sports Commission is expected to target disguised
  boosterism in reviewing the fair market value of NIL deals, so most
  marketing deals should not be impacted.
• However, the addition of a new layer of centralized review of
  NIL deals will require more advanced planning and preparation for
  potential delays when planning campaigns.

After five years of twists and turns, the settlement of the
House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA, and Carter v.
NCAA consolidated class action suits has finally been
approved, effectively ending the amateurism model that has
underpinned the NCAA since its founding in the early 1900s. While
the settlement promises significant changes to the college sports
landscape — most notably a $2.8 billion payout to current and
former student-athletes and the introduction of a revenue-sharing
model — key challenges remain, particularly regarding name,
image, and likeness (NIL) rules.

Understanding the New Structure

At its core, the settlement marks a historic break from the
NCAA’s traditional amateurism principles by permitting
student-athletes to receive direct payments from schools. Schools
will be allowed (but not required) to allocate up to 22% of the
average annual revenues — derived from media rights,
sponsorships and ticket sales — to student-athletes. The
initial cap is set at roughly $20.5 million per school, with
gradual increases anticipated over time, similar to the salary caps
common in professional sports.

The structure also imposes a shift in roster management,
replacing scholarship limits with roster caps. Many institutions
are expected to prioritize their highest-revenue sports, such as
football and men’s basketball. As a result, smaller programs
could face cuts and heightened competition for limited funding, and
the livelihood of smaller Olympic and non-revenue sports are
especially at risk. Already, several schools have cut programs and
preemptively cut rosters in multiple non-revenue sports. In a
last-minute response to objections to the settlement, the NCAA will
allow (but importantly will not require) schools to voluntarily
grandfather in current student-athletes and protect them from
roster limit cuts.

In addition to direct revenue sharing, the settlement permits
athletic departments to absorb NIL collectives and operate them as
internal marketing agencies. Schools will not only distribute funds
within the cap but also facilitate third-party NIL deals outside of
it. The “Power 5” conferences have formed a new entity,
the College Sports Commission (CSC), to oversee compliance and
enforcement by both schools and student-athletes.

Legal and Regulatory Hurdles

Although the settlement attempts to create a sense of certainty
in college sports, that certainty remains elusive. Almost
immediately after approval of the settlement was announced,
objectors to the settlement filed appeals on Title IX grounds. As a
result of these appeals, the $2.8 billion in payments are currently
on hold.

At the same time, Congress has engaged in its annual tradition
of introducing federal legislation to address NIL and college
sports regulation – this time, the Student Compensation and
Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. Like the
dozens of Congressional bills before it, prospects for the SCORE
Act are not good. Meanwhile, several states, including California,
Michigan, and Ohio, enacted NIL laws that conflict with the
settlement’s terms, particularly around restrictions that could
limit student-athletes’ earnings. To date, at least 17 states
have laws at odds with the settlement framework, setting the stage
for further legal challenges.

The Role of the College Sports Commission

The CSC will act as the compliance arm of the new college sports
structure. For the schools that opt in to this system (notably, the
Ivy League will not participate), CSC will review roster caps to
ensure school compliance and NIL contracts to ensure they reflect
fair market value and are not used to circumvent the distribution
cap. Student-athletes will be required to report NIL deals valued
at $600 or more to NIL Go, the centralized platform developed by
Deloitte for the CSC. Noncompliant agreements may be rejected and
will be subject to penalties.

At this point, it is unclear how the CSC will manage the review
of NIL deals for the thousands of student-athletes across the
country or how long this review will take. Moreover, uncertainties
remain regarding how violations will be penalized and how
“fair market value” will be determined, particularly
given disparities between athletes at powerhouse programs and those
at smaller schools. The intent of this review is to root out
pay-for-play deals disguised as NIL deals. However, the arguments
by objectors to the House settlement hearings suggest that
the NCAA’s ability to assess the fair market value of the
social following of a student-athlete, particularly in non-revenue
sports, is suspect.

Preparing for What Lies Ahead

As the NCAA transitions into a revenue-sharing era with enhanced
scrutiny over NIL agreements, brands, universities, and
student-athletes must remain vigilant. Adapting quickly to these
regulatory shifts, staying ahead of ongoing conflicts between the
NCAA, athletes, and state regulators, and planning for changes in
campaign timelines will be critical to success in this new
collegiate sports economy.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.

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