NIL
The Price of the Future in NIL, Revenue Share and Recruiting
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I’m happy to publish one of those freelance stories today, from our colleague and regular contributor KC Smurthwaite. I’ll pass him the mic, right after this message from today’s sponsor:
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Everyone expected fireworks on the Fourth of July — and they got them. In college football, the real fireworks that shifted the NCAA recruiting landscape exploded in Lubbock, Texas, where the spark of a commitment blew up the revenue-sharing model.
Five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, ranked No. 20 in the 2026 ESPN 300, stunned the recruiting world by committing to Texas Tech. But the real bombshell wasn’t his actual commitment. It was the fine print: Ojo had reportedly signed a seven-figure, guaranteed revenue-sharing deal before ever playing a college snap.
Guaranteed. High school. Millions.
The move instantly shifted the conversation from “Texas Tech landed a big recruit” to “Texas Tech just rewrote the playbook.” In a sport long dominated by bluebloods, a program from outside the national elite was suddenly front and center in the new NIL arms race. Oh, did I mention that Tech wasn’t even in the mix in the days leading up to Ojo’s commitment?
The deal is unprecedented. For Texas Tech, Ojo is the highest-ranked offensive lineman ever to commit to the program. For college football, his contract is proof that the ground is shifting beneath our feet — quickly.
Early reports framed Ojo’s contract at a jaw-dropping $5.1 million. His agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, indicated that escalators could push it that high: $1.2 million in Year 1, $1.6 million in Year 2 and $2.1 million in Year 3. However, subsequent reports painted a more modest picture: a three-year, $2.3 million agreement averaging $775,000 per year. But incentives, renegotiations and the still-evolving revenue-sharing landscape could push that higher.
Attorney Darren Heitner believes Ojo’s deal signals just how far the college game has drifted into professional territory. “Ojo’s revenue-sharing contract could mirror protections seen in NFL rookie deals, ensuring compensation regardless of performance or injury,” he said. But he also pushed back against the hype about the deal being fully guaranteed. “Calling it a fully guaranteed contract may not be accurate if much of the money hinges on incentives or increases in the revenue-sharing cap,” he said.
Heitner added that deals like this will force schools to make tough choices about where to direct their money. High school stars like Ojo offer long-term upside, but transfers bring proven production and can flip a roster overnight. In today’s landscape, both are essential, but resources are finite — and the decisions looming for schools could have massive implications
How to split recruiting resources between high schoolers and transfers?
The spotlight will always shine on athletes like Ojo, but the ripple effects of contracts like his may not be so kind to everyone else. The pulse of conversations around the industry points to one vulnerable demographic: underclassmen. The five-star recruits will get deals, dominate headlines and secure long-term agreements. But the one-to three-star players, the lifeblood of most rosters, face a harsher reality. In today’s climate, the transfer portal is king.
In an era when athletic directors and coaches are judged on their ability to win quickly, the reliance on transfers has never been greater. “It’s never been easier to flip a program than it is now,” one athletic director noted. “And you don’t do that with 18- and 19-year-olds. You do it with upperclassmen.”
That shift means high school players without elite ratings are increasingly vulnerable, as they are squeezed out by the urgency to win now.
The ‘infancy’ of contracts in college sports
The evolution of contracts in college sports explains why Ojo’s deal matters so much. For decades, the “contract” was little more than a National Letter of Intent — a standardized form binding a player to a school in exchange for scholarship aid. Today, those single-page agreements have evolved into complex, multi-year documents that resemble NFL rookie contracts.
Agent Juan Lozano describes this moment as “our collective infancy with contracts.” He said many players and parents still view the scholarship as the ultimate goal, and just getting any deal across the finish line feels like success. However, that approach often results in unfavorable terms and inadequate compensation. Lozano has seen families negotiate on their own, relying on promises from coaches that never make it into a written agreement. “A coach or the GM tells a player they’ll make $150,000, but the contract comes back for far less,” he said. Without competent legal representation, those mistakes are inevitable.
The irony, Lozano pointed out, is that the NCAA spent years painting agents as villains, which kept many qualified professionals away. That created a vacuum where unqualified representatives now swoop in. “Players will sign with anyone who tells them what they want to hear,” Lozano said. “And often those people aren’t qualified to evaluate what’s really in the deal.”
If all of this feels messy, that’s because it is. A sitting Power Four athletic director didn’t sugarcoat the reality, saying there’s no slippery slope anymore, just “a malfunctioning system with no CBA or backbone to operate where we want it to go.”
A glimpse into the future
The baseline in today’s system starts with Alston money, a result of the Supreme Court ruling in 2021 that guaranteed up to $5,980 a year in education-related benefits for student-athletes. On top of that came the rise of NIL collectives, which helped set the stage for a “soft cap” of around $20.5 million in revenue sharing. But the real story is the hard cap — or lack of one. In practice, it’s whatever a school and its boosters can muster (or get the CSC to approve), with no true ceiling in sight.
Behind the headlines are families and agencies navigating uncharted waters. Rashad Phillips, CEO of Prestige Management, which signed Ojo, said his company has prioritized working with families that share a vision of putting kids’ needs first. “All deals are different,” Phillips said. “There is no cookie-cutter experience.”
Prestige already represents multiple high school athletes. Ojo might be the first to grab national headlines, but he almost certainly won’t be the last. That reality raises difficult questions: How should schools recruit teenagers already tied to million-dollar contracts, and what happens when one mid-major goes all-in on a few high school recruits and they don’t pan out?
When Ojo committed to Texas Tech, it was a glimpse into the future — a landscape where high school seniors negotiate like pros, where schools are officially weighing roster-building decisions like general managers and where millions of dollars change hands before the first snap.
On July 4, with fireworks cracking across the Texas sky, Lubbock showed that you don’t have to be a blue blood to play in the game … you just have to pay.
Two teams that have really embraced the NIL era are set to meet on New Year’s Day. Oregon‘s win over James Madison advanced them to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, where Texas Tech was waiting on the other side. Now, it’s Dan Lanning vs. Joey McGuire in the Orange Bowl with a lot of resources put into rosters.
Oregon has been at the forefront of NIL since its inception, especially under Lanning. Texas Tech could be considered the new kid on the block after major investment from a few donors. Even so, McGuire sees some similarities between the two when it comes to winning at whatever cost.
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“They’ve got a great booster in Phil Knight that really said, ‘We’re going to go win at the highest level and there’s no excuse when it comes to finance.’ You turn around and I think that we’re showing that we’re doing that. I think we’re really comparable,” McGuire said.
“We’ve got guys that have stepped up and done a great job. I kind of call them the ‘Big Five’ whenever you talk about Cody and John, Mike, Dusty, and Gary. Those guys have, along with everybody else in Red Raider Nation, but those guys have really led the charge. So, we’re kind of comparable on and off the field in this team. They’ve just done it for a little bit longer. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
As he said, McGuire is looking to put together a run similar to Oregon. All four years since hiring Lanning have been a resounding success, finishing with double-digit wins in all of them. This is the program’s second College Football Playoff appearance in the 12-team format, just missing out in 2023 due to a Pac-12 Championship loss.
Oregon won the Big Ten in its inaugural season inside the conference. Texas Tech can check that box already though, winning the Big 12 for the first time in school history. Advancing in the CFP would be a sweet bonus.
No matter the result on Jan. 1, Texas Tech is positioning itself to be successful moving forward. The 2026 recruiting class ranked 20th in the country but No. 1 in the Big 12 per the Rivals Industry Team Rankings. This is all before raiding the NCAA transfer portal, something McGuire and his staff did so well with last offseason.
In the weeks leading up to the opening of the NCAA transfer portal, hundreds of college football players have announced their decisions to leave the schools they played for in 2025 for new horizons next season.
Some cases involve players transferring up from Group of Five or FCS programs to broaden their exposure. Others feature players following their coaches from one school to another due to the coaching carousel. In occasional instances, players are searching for the highest bidder on the portal.
Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt is a portal entry drawing the attention of high-bidding college football programs. He will enter the portal with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
On3 ranks Leavitt as the top available quarterback in the transfer portal. Chris Hummer of CBS Sports reported that schools are expected to offer Leavitt around $3 million.
“Sam Leavitt on the open market is going to command a significant amount of money,” Hummer said. “We’re talking $3 million plus most likely. Although, in all fairness, I think teams really do have questions about Sam Leavitt’s injury and what that means moving forward. It’s kind of like the Carson Beck situation a year ago.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder began his college football career with Mel Tucker at Michigan State in 2023. He played in a maximum of four games that season to maintain his redshirt, throwing for 139 yards, two touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions.
Leavitt transferred to Arizona State in the 2024 offseason. The Sun Devils were 10-2 in the regular season and defeated Iowa State (45-19) en route to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions and rushed for another 443 yards and five touchdowns.
Postseason honors for Leavitt included Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Big 12. His 2,885 passing yards are the most by a freshman quarterback in Arizona State history.
Leavitt’s season was cut short after the Sun Devils’ game against Houston due to a Lisfranc injury. He threw for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions while he ran for 306 yards and five touchdowns in seven games.
Arizona State will not start Leavitt in its bowl game. The Sun Devils (8-4, 6-3) will play ACC champion Duke (8-5, 6-2) in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas (3 p.m. EST, CBS).
The NCAA transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, 2026, the final day of bowl games across the FBS ranks. It will remain open for the following two weeks.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala (WIAT) – University of Alabama offensive lineman Parker Brailsford’s childhood experiences inspire him to help Tuscaloosa’s underserved youth.
Brailsford is an Arizona native, who has made a name for himself in the world of college football. But when he takes off the helmet and pads, his focus shifts to something else.
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“Being able to give back to kids that don’t have – that’s something that fulfills me,” Brailsford said. “It’s my purpose.”
Brailsford took 10 children and their families from the Boys and Girls Club Christmas shopping on Monday.
Each child received a $100 Target gift card. All together it was $1,000 of NIL money.
Alabama moves up to No. 14, Auburn falls out of AP men’s college basketball rankings
“He just gave her a turkey for Thanksgiving, and now he’s taking her Christmas shopping,” Toniko Bryant said. “I’m very thankful because he doesn’t have to do that.”
Brailsford understands he doesn’t have to – but he wants to.
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“As a kid, we didn’t have a lot but we had enough,” Brailsford said.
During Brailsford’s infancy years he was adopted.
“I never was in the foster care system, but one of my friends was,” Brailsford said.
Brailsford’s formative years were a stark contrast to what he saw other children experience. His parents gave him support and stability, while other children moved from home to home.
At the same time, his mother took him to homeless shelters and food pantries to volunteer. There he saw how poverty affects anyone of all ages, races, and gender.
“Sometimes you get caught in the what you’re living in right now – you think there’s not a place for you,” Brailsford said.
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Brailsford found his place on the field, but his purpose is to help children find theirs.
“This is something God put on his heart,” John Nero said. “I appreciate every bit of it, not just for Oshae but for all the other kids.”
Brailsford relates to many of the children he serves. Whether it’s adoption, financial hardships, or empathizing with experiences his friend encountered years ago.
While Brailsford’s success in football gives him the financial resources and name recognition to coordinate outreach events, this is just the beginning even if his football career comes to an end.
“I’m working on my social work degree right now because I really want to be able to help kids, anyway I can,” Brailsford said.
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Indiana’s meteoric ascent to the top of college football has transformed the Hoosiers into a prime destination for transfer quarterbacks, and for a brief moment, that attention turned toward a familiar face.
Cincinnati signal-caller Brendan Sorsby, who spent his first two seasons at Indiana before moving on, formally entered the transfer portal on December 15 after a productive 2025 campaign with the Bearcats.
In 2025, Sorsby produced 2,800 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes, and five interceptions, plus 580 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.
Across his collegiate career, he has totaled 7,208 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, 1,305 rushing yards, and 22 rushing touchdowns, positioning him as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks currently available in the transfer portal.
He is also one of the market’s most valuable quarterback assets, with an estimated NIL valuation of approximately $2.4 million and reports indicating that suitors have discussed packages exceeding $4 million.
Recent reports have tied Sorsby to several Power-5 suitors, notably Texas Tech and, in initial rumor threads, a potential reunion with the Hoosiers.
However, “Hoosier Tailgate” host Shannon “Coach Griff” Griffith pushed back on the speculation during a December 20 episode, suggesting that Indiana would not view Sorsby as a realistic target.
“I do not think Sorsby is anybody that Indiana would have any interest in,” Griff said. “I don’t necessarily think Sorsby is better than, other than playing, Alberto (Mendoza). I just don’t think that’s something that I can see them getting back in. He’s kind of linked to Texas Tech.”
The Hoosiers finished the 2025 campaign undefeated, captured the Big Ten title, and entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed.
Their offense was driven by Fernando Mendoza (2,980 yards, 33 TDs, six INTs), who swept national awards (Davey O’Brien, Maxwell, and the Heisman) and is widely discussed as a top prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Head coach Curt Cignetti’s program has proven adept at integrating transfer quarterbacks, with both Fernando Mendoza (Cal) and Kurtis Rourke (Ohio) finding success after joining the Hoosiers.
For Sorsby, the portal still offers multiple paths, including a high-value college package or an NFL evaluation, but commentary from influential IU voices, such as Griff, has effectively taken a straightforward reunion scenario off the table.
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala (WIAT) – University of Alabama offensive lineman Parker Brailsford’s childhood experiences inspire him to help Tuscaloosa’s underserved youth.
Brailsford is an Arizona native, who has made a name for himself in the world of college football. But when he takes off the helmet and pads, his focus shifts to something else.
“Being able to give back to kids that don’t have – that’s something that fulfills me,” Brailsford said. “It’s my purpose.”
Brailsford took 10 children and their families from the Boys and Girls Club Christmas shopping on Monday.
Each child received a $100 Target gift card. All together it was $1,000 of NIL money.
“He just gave her a turkey for Thanksgiving, and now he’s taking her Christmas shopping,” Toniko Bryant said. “I’m very thankful because he doesn’t have to do that.”
Brailsford understands he doesn’t have to – but he wants to.
“As a kid, we didn’t have a lot but we had enough,” Brailsford said.
During Brailsford’s infancy years he was adopted.
“I never was in the foster care system, but one of my friends was,” Brailsford said.
Brailsford’s formative years were a stark contrast to what he saw other children experience. His parents gave him support and stability, while other children moved from home to home.
At the same time, his mother took him to homeless shelters and food pantries to volunteer. There he saw how poverty affects anyone of all ages, races, and gender.
“Sometimes you get caught in the what you’re living in right now – you think there’s not a place for you,” Brailsford said.
Brailsford found his place on the field, but his purpose is to help children find theirs.
“This is something God put on his heart,” John Nero said. “I appreciate every bit of it, not just for Oshae but for all the other kids.”
Brailsford relates to many of the children he serves. Whether it’s adoption, financial hardships, or empathizing with experiences his friend encountered years ago.
While Brailsford’s success in football gives him the financial resources and name recognition to coordinate outreach events, this is just the beginning even if his football career comes to an end.
“I’m working on my social work degree right now because I really want to be able to help kids, anyway I can,” Brailsford said.
The college football offseason landscape shifted dramatically this week as one of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks officially signaled his intent to explore new options. This decision comes immediately after a major coaching carousel change in which his longtime mentor left their shared Big 12 Conference program for a prestigious opening in the Big Ten Conference.
The move immediately sparked speculation regarding a potential reunion that could reshape the competitive balance of the upcoming season.
Analysts are already connecting the dots between the veteran signal-caller and his former head coach’s new destination. The quarterback boasts a reputation for delivering in high-pressure fourth-quarter moments and possesses the type of high-floor reliability that championship contenders covet. His entry into the transfer database essentially resets the market for teams in desperate need of a veteran presence under center to stabilize a transition.
Media personalities have wasted little time identifying a frontrunner for his services. The prevailing sentiment suggests that the existing bond between the player and the coaching staff makes one specific landing spot nearly inevitable unless a drastic shift occurs.
This specific transfer recruitment is expected to be swift given the deep ties and the immediate need for a starter to lead the coach’s new program.
Connection between Rocco Becht and Penn State is undeniable
During a recent episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, the host addressed the developing situation regarding Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht. The redshirt junior holds a $1.4 million NIL valuation according to On3 and has entered the transfer portal following the departure of his head coach. Pate views the link to the Penn State Nittany Lions as logical, given the recent hiring of Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell in Happy Valley.
“Rocco Becht is in the portal. This is not a shock,” Pate said. “He is a Matt Campbell guy. Campbell goes to Penn State, quarterback goes in the portal. You’ve got to think Penn State’s going to play a major factor here.”
Becht leaves Ames as one of the most decorated passers in school history. He accumulated over 9,200 career passing yards and 64 touchdowns while winning 26 games as a starter. His 2025 campaign was hampered by a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. He still managed to throw for 2,584 yards despite the physical setback. Pate emphasized the mental attributes that make Becht an attractive target for the Nittany Lions.
“He is an excellent player in fourth-quarter moments,” Pate stated. “If you add Rocco Becht there, there is no crash-and-burn season unless he gets hurt. So you get a high floor, but a very next-level mentality too. He kind of thinks more like an NFL guy.”
Forever A Cyclone❤️🌪️🌪️❤️ pic.twitter.com/chHf7fjh0j
— Rocco Becht (@RoccoBecht) December 20, 2025
The transition would be seamless for Becht. He would reunite with Campbell as well as offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters. This familiarity is crucial as Becht rehabilitates his shoulder ahead of the 2026 season.
“He’s a coach’s kid and a friend of the program, Anthony Becht, by the way,” Pate added. “I would say Penn State (is the leader) until otherwise noted there.”
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opens for all players to enter on Jan. 2.
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