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College sports enter new era with NIL deals

The NCAA has allowed student-athletes since 2021 to profit from their name, image and likeness Listen to this article Kris Trinidad embraces NIL to build his brand Virginia legislation allows schools to pay student-athletes Coaches and programs adapt to shifting power dynamics in recruiting Risks include financial literacy gaps and potential exploitation Kris Trinidad plays […]

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College sports enter new era with NIL deals

The NCAA has allowed student-athletes since 2021 to profit from their name, image and likeness

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Kris Trinidad embraces NIL to build his brand

  • Virginia legislation allows schools to pay student-athletes

  • Coaches and programs adapt to shifting power dynamics in recruiting

  • Risks include financial literacy gaps and potential exploitation

    • Kris Trinidad plays defensive end for Old Dominion University’s Division I football team, where he tallied 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. He’s also building his brand thanks to new laws that allow student-athletes to ink endorsement deals and get paid by the university. 

    “I feel like it’s teaching young guys how to be more marketable and prepare themselves for their future,” Trinidad said. “It gives them opportunities to express their true selves amongst the community.”

    Trinidad is part of the growing class of student-athletes learning to navigate a new world of college athletics, one where player statistics, social media presence and sponsorship potential increasingly all matter.

    The Rise Of The Student Athlete

    The NCAA has allowed student-athletes since 2021 to profit from their name, image and likeness, or NIL.

    The financial shift and its impact on college athletics have been dramatic. College athletes went from landing full scholarships and cost-of-living expenses to earning an estimated $917 million in the first year NIL was enacted, according to Icon Source.

    New legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2024 opened the door for direct payments from schools. This shift is backed by a legal settlement known as House v. NCAA, which will permit schools to allocate up to $20 million annually to pay student-athletes. The case argued current and even former student-athletes deserve a share of revenue generated by television deals, licensing agreements and even ticket sales. It recently received conditional approval from NCAA governance.

    Virginia Commonwealth University student-athletes will be paid starting in the 2025-2026 year, with a projected $5 million allocation, according to CBS6 News.

    The biggest NIL sums still go to marquee names. First-year Duke University power forward Cooper Flagg has a NIL valuation upwards of $4 million, according to 1075thefan sports website.

    However, players of all levels can find opportunities to build their brands. Former Virginia State University running back Rayquan Smith was dubbed “King of NIL” for receiving over 100 NIL deals, according to The Virginia Statesman.

    Not Amateurism Anymore

    Brendan Dwyer, a professor at VCU‘s Center for Sports Leadership, said the current NIL model is not sustainable for athletic departments.

    “If all of a sudden they have to go out and find money through NIL to pay their athletes, it comes at the expense of so many other things for the athletic department,” Dwyer said.

    Dwyer thinks schools are heading toward a professional model, and schools and athletes should be prepared. Although it might create other issues, employing athletes could be a solution.

    “If you take a step back and you watch what happens on a Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, or you watch what happened last weekend in San Antonio, those aren’t amateur sports,” Dwyer said. “That’s professionalism.”

    Community, Coaches And The Changing Game 

    Coaches are also evolving in the new era. VCU recently hired Phil Martelli Jr. as its new head coach and he is stepping into the role at a transformative time. Martelli led Bryant University to an America East title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in March.

    “The revenue sharing and NIL stuff is not going anywhere,” Martelli said. “It’s become a major part of this, the transfer portals become a major part of this for everybody, at every level.”

    Coaches need resources to get recruits to campus. In most cases, athletes are straightforward in what they’re looking for when choosing which universities to attend, according to Martelli.

    “Then it’s up to us to decide what that looks like,” Martelli said. “Is that worth it, is it not worth it?”

    Martelli would like to see multi-year contracts for athletes. There would then be the potential for contract buyouts within college athletics, similar to professional sports. Both parties can negotiate the terms and lengths of the contracts and try to find common ground.

     “But right now if you go year-to-year, to have guys jumping in the transfer portal and shopping around, it isn’t the best for everybody,” Martelli said.

    Former University of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett unexpectedly retired in 2024, saying he no longer felt he was the best coach to lead the program in the current environment. Bennett, who guided UVA to the 2019 national championship, said NIL deals, along with the transfer portal, added aspects to his role that weren’t his strong suit.

    “The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot,” Bennett said. “There needs to be change.”

    Community is also impacted when student-athletes solely chase money, said Ben Rekosh, a VCU broadcast student and sports commentator. College sports used to be built on the idea of student-athletes being integral to their community, by contributing to what makes their school and fan base great for three to four years.

    “I think that it affects the community a lot,” Rekosh said. “There’s not really players anymore that people are able to to tie their hearts with and have a true connection with, if people are just jumping back and forth.”

    Still, he understands why it could be in the best interest of athletes at their peak to move around and maximize their earnings.

    One perk of NIL deals is that more college athletes are staying in school instead of going professional immediately, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. They can continue their education while earning money, versus being pushed toward the pay-to-play professional route.

    Top college players may earn more money and playing time than they would as rookies in the pros and would have more experience going into a draft.

    New Kind Of Athlete

    Athletes are not just a part of the university’s brand; they also have a personal business.

    Thai Wilson, sports editor for VCU student-run paper The Commonwealth Times, said fans increasingly follow players, not just programs.

    “You remember 2008 Florida winning the March Madness, or VCU making it to the Final Four in 2011,” Wilson said. “People don’t remember the players that played on those teams who made it all the way unless they were either a big name who made it to the NBA, or if it’s just a very memorable run.”

    Wilson pointed to top recruit AJ Dybansta’s decision to go to Brigham Young University, a school not known for getting high-profile signees, as an example of how NIL has shifted power dynamics. That can benefit students and give them a better chance to negotiate for what they want.

    “NIL’s landscape is starting to kind of open up doors for other programs to get higher recruits if they’re willing to pay for it,” Wilson said.

    Risks And Reality

    Student-athletes now have new opportunities, but with that comes risk. Especially for younger athletes still learning financial basics. For Trinidad, the key is using NIL to build the athlete experience.

    Although NIL deals may give students more power, Trinidad worries some could be exploited by marketing agents or contract deals that they don’t understand.

    “Because these guys—they’ll come in, make you a contract and take 10% of your money,” Trinidad said. “It’s something young guys need to be wary of.”

    He thinks high school athletics should start talking about brand building, contract literacy and financial management.

    NIL deals are relatively new, with many rules in place around compensation and endorsement. Virginia law restricts athletes from NIL compensation from alcohol, cannabis and sports gambling, to name a few.

    If the laws change and there is less regulation, there is a chance athletes could be taken advantage of.

    “It gives you power, but power in the wrong hands can be bad,” Trinidad said.

    Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. 

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    ACC Coach Questions Whether Carson Beck Can Justify His $4.5M NIL Deal At Miami?

    This offseason, the Miami Hurricanes football team brought in former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck through the transfer portal. Beck is a polarizing quarterback for a number of reasons. While he brings a National Championship pedigree and a history of proven high-end quarterback play with him to Miami, he is also coming off a major […]

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    This offseason, the Miami Hurricanes football team brought in former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck through the transfer portal. Beck is a polarizing quarterback for a number of reasons. While he brings a National Championship pedigree and a history of proven high-end quarterback play with him to Miami, he is also coming off a major season-ending elbow surgery and a reputation for not always being the greatest player to have in your locker room. Offseason drama with his ex-girlfriend Hanna Cavinder, who played for the Hurricanes women’s basketball team, made headlines on entertainment websites, which did nothing to help the perception of Beck or the situation. 

    So when the Hurricanes gave him a $4.5 million NIL package to join their team, which is the second biggest NIL package in the country behind only Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, it raised some eyebrows. Many loved what Miami did, going out and getting their guy, while others scoffed at the idea of giving Beck that kind of money coming off a down year that ended in injury. 

    An anonymous ACC coach has come out and questioned whether Beck is worth the money that the Hurricanes gave him. 

    “Is Beck worth all that money? No one really knows right now, but that’s the question you have to ask.”

    “I think there’s a bigger question here on how and why they spend what they do on the guys they pick. It’s sort of like a Dodgers or Yankees mindset, spending on top-end recruits and portal guys, and not really a team-focused culture. You’re still in Florida, you still have to prioritize the high schools, and they’ve done that in NIL.” 

    While fans and experts can’t debate this topic relentlessly on TV, radio, and social media all offseason, we won’t get our true answer until the Hurricanes are actually on the field playing football. We will find out if Beck bounces back and proves that his experience and skill are worth the investment, or if Miami put all their eggs in the basket of a quarterback who was simply propped up by the team around him at Georgia when they were winning titles.  



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    As Texas Tech rises across the board, the nation is becoming more jealous than ever

    There’s no question that it has been a strong 2024-25 athletic year for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders captured eight total Big 12 championships, the most of any team in the conference. In addition, the Red Raider men’s basketball team reached the Elite Eight and came within a blink of playing in the Final Four […]

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    There’s no question that it has been a strong 2024-25 athletic year for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders captured eight total Big 12 championships, the most of any team in the conference.

    In addition, the Red Raider men’s basketball team reached the Elite Eight and came within a blink of playing in the Final Four before a late collapse cost them a win against eventual National Champion Florida.

    Off the field, the Texas Tech success has been evident as well. That’s especially true in the case of the football program, which has brought in a historic transfer class, one that is rated by some recruiting services as the No. 1 transfer haul in the country.

    Of course, all of that winning was topped off this past weekend when the softball program qualified for the Women’s College World Series for the first time in its history. That remarkable accomplishment was powered by Texas Tech’s unprecedented NIL investment in softball, a non-revenue sport. The money poured into that program brought star pitcher NiJaree Canady to Lubbock for a reported $1 million per season and changed the trajectory of Tech softball almost overnight.

    Now, as the Red Raiders prepare to play in this week’s world series in Oklahoma City, the attention the softball program and the entire athletic department is receiving has ramped up, and the conversation for most around the nation is about the success that Tech has had via the NIL market. But, as one might expect, not everyone is happy to see the rise of the Red Raiders.

    Fans across the nation are jealous of Texas Tech’s success

    Almost as soon as Tech recorded the final out of last weekend’s Super Regional victory over No. 5 national seed Florida State, criticism from jealous fans across the nation began to flow freely on social media. It wasn’t just Seminole fans that were angry, though.

    Rather, fans of schools from all corners of the nation tried to claim that Tech’s World Series run is less legitimate than the accomplishments of the other World Series participants simply because of the NIL investment that Tech made in the program. Claiming that Tech was guilty of just buying a World Series appearance, those fans showed that there is going to be pushback against Texas Tech’s efforts to improve their standing in the highest-profile sports by using the current system that the NCAA has in place.

    What’s fascinating is that many of those speaking out against Texas Tech are supporters or alums of universities that have used money to gain unfair advantages for decades. Long before NIL allowed athletic departments to openly compensate athletes above the board, untold numbers of schools were using back-channel methods to funnel under-the-table money and benefits to recruits and athletes.

    That system was fine for those who managed to use it effectively. Now, though, Texas Tech is the face of the new era in college athletics, an era in which compensating athletes is done in the light, and for some reason, that is not sitting well with many fans.

    The reason for this angst against Texas Tech is that it is a non-traditional power that has started to rise up via the NIL market. Were it Texas, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, Southern California, or some other long-time name-brand athletic department that was leading the NIL movement, few people would bat an eye. In fact, many of those schools are also paying big money to win in various sports, but none are getting the criticism that Texas Tech is.

    Because little ole Texas Tech is threatening the status quo across multiple sports, those who have enjoyed sitting on the throne for years are now fearful as a new challenger rises on the scene. Remember, college sports have always been tribal in nature, not communal, the way professional sports are set up.

    In the world of college athletics, it has always essentially been every school for itself. Thus, the rise of a new contender is not welcomed as it would be in the professional ranks. Rather, it is feared by those who have perched atop the hierarchy for decades, as there is a new threat to their dominance.

    The ironic part of all of this is that many Tech fans initially feared that our school wouldn’t be able to keep up in the NIL era after struggling to play on the big stage for most of the athletic department’s existence.

    Fortunately, though, a group of well-funded and highly motivated boosters has seized this opportunity to bring the Red Raiders to the forefront in multiple sports. Now, the nation is taking notice, and many outside of West Texas aren’t happy about it.

    That shouldn’t bother Texas Tech fans, though. After all, irritating those who think they are better than the rest of us has been what this university has been about since the day it was founded. Why stop now?





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    76 Years of Adidas in Music, Pop Culture, Film and More [PHOTOS]

    Adi Dassler started Adidas on August 18, 1949 introducing the now-iconi 3-Stripes to the world.  Nearly 80 years later, Adidas continues to make an impact within popular culture, expanding far being sports and fashion. The shoes made a mark on hip hop thanks in part to Run-DMC, which became the first music group to land […]

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    76 Years of Adidas in Music, Pop Culture, Film and More [PHOTOS]


    Adi Dassler started Adidas on August 18, 1949 introducing the now-iconi 3-Stripes to the world.  Nearly 80 years later, Adidas continues to make an impact within popular culture, expanding far being sports and fashion.

    The shoes made a mark on hip hop thanks in part to Run-DMC, which became the first music group to land an endorsement deal with an athletic brand. Adidas’ shoes and clothing have also made appearances in beloved movies like “Teen Wolf,” “Rocky,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” and plenty of others. The company also stayed ahead of the game, building partnerships not just athletes like David Beckham and Leo Messi but also culture shifters like Missy Elliot, Kanye West and Pharrell.

    The brand continues to reinvent itselfIn Adidas’ first decade, the company delivered the Samba, a soccer shoe that made a resurgence in the 2020s thanks to style influencers and models like Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski.

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    Projected NBA draft pick Mackenzie Mgbako opts for Texas A&M

    Jonathan GivonyMay 27, 2025, 09:55 AM ET Close NBA draft analyst and writerJoined ESPN.com in July 2017Founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams Open Extended Reactions Mackenzie Mgbako, a projected second-round pick, will withdraw from the NBA draft and spend his junior season at […]

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    Projected NBA draft pick Mackenzie Mgbako opts for Texas A&M

    • Jonathan GivonyMay 27, 2025, 09:55 AM ET

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        NBA draft analyst and writer
        Joined ESPN.com in July 2017
        Founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams

    Mackenzie Mgbako, a projected second-round pick, will withdraw from the NBA draft and spend his junior season at Texas A&M, he told ESPN on Tuesday.

    “I decided to withdraw to focus on becoming a lock first-round pick next year,” Mgbako said. “I am committed to making the improvements to my game based upon feedback from NBA teams.”

    The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

    Mgbako, a top-10 high school recruit in 2023 and former McDonald’s All American, spent his first two seasons at Indiana, averaging 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 26 minutes over 65 games.

    He elected to enter the transfer portal in late March and committed to Texas A&M several weeks later. However, he also announced his intentions to explore the NBA draft process, being invited to the G League Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this month.

    Mgbako led the camp in scoring — posting 41 points and 11 rebounds in 41 minutes — to earn an invite to the more prestigious NBA draft combine. He continued to score there, too, adding another 31 points and 16 rebounds in 43 minutes. He finished the week shooting 13-of-26 from 3 while drawing free throws in bunches, significantly improving his outlook as an NBA prospect after also measuring just under 6-foot-9 in shoes.

    “I look forward to building off of my experience at the combine and team workouts and translating that into a full season’s worth of basketball at Texas A&M,” Mgbako said. “I look forward to playing in Coach McMillan’s system, doing whatever is asked of me to help our team win, play in the NCAA tournament and go deep into March.”

    Mackenzie Mgbako, who transferred to Texas A&M after averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds in 26 minutes over 65 games with Indiana, has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will play for the Aggies this fall. Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty ImagesMgbako will be one of many new faces in College Station next season, as the Aggies were forced to completely rehaul their roster after coach Buzz Williams elected to depart for Maryland. Samford coach Bucky McMillan was hired to replace Williams, completing a meteoric rise from spending 12 years at Mountain Brook High School to coaching in the SEC after five seasons in the Southern Conference.

    Just one player, Chris McDermott, who scored nine points in 45 minutes of action last season, returns for the Aggies.

    Also on Tuesday, Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs, more than a month after committing to Houston, has signed with the Aggies, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. Isaacs, a former All-Big 12 selection in 2023-24 at Texas Tech, had picked Houston as the apparent replacement for Milos Uzan, who had entered the NBA draft but withdrew his name from draft consideration on Tuesday.

    Isaacs played in just eight games for Creighton last season before a hip injury caused him to miss the rest of the campaign. He was averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists prior to the injury, including a 27-point performance against Kansas.

    Including Isaacs, 10 players have signed with Texas A&M from the transfer portal — Mgbako, North Alabama guard Jacari Lane, Kansas wing Rylan Griffen, Texas Tech big man Federiko Federiko, NC State guard Marcus Hill, Samford guard Joshua Holloway and others.

    Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.

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    Top Basketball Transfer Lost $1 Million+ In NIL Money With Holdout

    iStockphoto / © Scott Sewell-Imagn Images // © Wesley Hale-Imagn Images The PJ Haggerty saga finally came to an end. He officially withdrew his name from the NBA Draft pool and committed to play for Kansas State on an NIL deal that will pay him less than what he wanted. The highly-coveted transfer lost out […]

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    PJ Haggerty NIL $2 Million Kansas State Loss
    iStockphoto / © Scott Sewell-Imagn Images // © Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

    The PJ Haggerty saga finally came to an end. He officially withdrew his name from the NBA Draft pool and committed to play for Kansas State on an NIL deal that will pay him less than what he wanted.

    The highly-coveted transfer lost out on at least $1,000,000 during his drawn-out bidding war.

    Haggerty, a former four-star prospect in the college basketball recruiting Class of 2022, began his career with one year at TCU. He later spent one year at Tulsa and one year at Memphis.

    Although Haggerty and his 21.7 points per game was crucial to the success of the Tigers in 2024, the constantly-moving point guard decided to declare for the NBA Draft and subsequently entered the transfer portal at the same time. It always seemed like he was going to return to college for his redshirt junior season but his stellar performance during the NBA Draft Combine made for a difficult decision. There was a chance that he was going to turn pro even though he could make more money in NIL.

    Upon his entry into the transfer portal, PJ Haggerty (and his dad) were in search of $4 million. They came in with a number that was way too high but it served its purpose. A bidding war ensued.

    The Tigers tried to keep Haggerty in Memphis with a compensatory package worth a few pennies over $3 million. Ole Miss had approximately $2.5M. North Carolina State was in that same range.

    However, more and more of his suitors dropped out with every day that went by in Haggerty’s recruitment. He entered the portal on April 17. This process came to a conclusion on May 26. The entire sequence of events was muddled by conflicting reports about what teams were still in the mix at various points in time and how much money they were willing to pay.

    It was very confusing but Haggerty ultimately committed to Kansas State.

    According to multiple reports, the 21-year-old will get paid a base salary of approximately $2 million in guaranteed money. He can earn an addition $500,000 through various performance incentives during the 2025-26 season with the Wildcats.

    While $2.5 million in total value is not bad for a fourth-year college basketball player, it is at least $1 million less in guaranteed money than Memphis’ initial offer for a return. North Carolina State offered about $2.5 million in guaranteed money without the incentive bonuses. Ole Miss had a similar number, even though the Rebels were one of the first teams to pull out before things got serious.

    PJ Haggerty will get paid less money to play for Kansas State. He is obviously doing just fine but he overplayed his hand. It is a cautionary tale of the transfer portal. The grass is not always greener and one in the hand is worth two in the bush!





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    College Basketball Star’s NIL Deal Revealed With Intriguing Clause

    After choosing to withdraw from the 2025 NBA draft, Memphis Tigers star shooting guard PJ Haggerty is transferring to the Kansas State Wildcats. Players electing to return for a final college basketball season has become the norm in the NIL landscape. Unfortunately, so is negotiating without an agent, as Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reports […]

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    After choosing to withdraw from the 2025 NBA draft, Memphis Tigers star shooting guard PJ Haggerty is transferring to the Kansas State Wildcats.

    Players electing to return for a final college basketball season has become the norm in the NIL landscape.

    Unfortunately, so is negotiating without an agent, as Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reports Haggerty elected not to hire one but probably should have, as he received less than the $4 million his dad was reportedly asking for in the transfer portal.

    Despite this, Haggerty successfully negotiated an impressive deal with the Wildcats, which includes an intriguing escalator that may become more prominent in college sports.

    Should More NIL Contracts in College Sports Contain Incentives?

    Dan Morrison with On3 Sports broke down the contract details for Haggerty, which is reportedly up to $2.5 million.

    According to Morrison’s report, that’s a $2 million base deal with $500,000 in incentives.

    As Goodman reported, Haggerty was seeking twice that base amount in an NIL deal, but that ultimately oversold his market value.

    Now, perhaps with an agent, he could have gotten a better deal, or at least guaranteed that additional $500,000.

    It presents a potential solution for teams that are attempting to shape up their college athletic departments in preparation for the revenue-sharing era.

    The details surrounding Haggerty’s incentives aren’t outlined, but presumably, it would follow the contracts of NFL players that receive pay bumps for playoff appearances, Pro Bowl honors, a certain number of snaps, and more creative avenues.

    It also seems to skirt the line of paying for play without clarification on the incentives.

    Perhaps it’s tied in to postseason success, as the Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last season and aren’t expected to be outright contenders this year.

    This strategy not only appears to buy time for Kansas State to generate additional revenue for the contract, but it also represents a potential instance of cap management, which will start to influence the sport as the House settlement approval approaches.

    Players frequently have bonuses in NIL deals for things like bowl game appearances in college football, as the transfer portal has decimated teams by the time the postseason comes.

    If that’s the idea with Haggerty’s deal, it is a smart play for spreading out resources and a strong way to gain a competitive advantage in player acquisition.

    It bolsters a player’s buy-in if his contract success is tied to that of the team and correlates with resources streaming in when they pay off on the court.





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