• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
opinion
College Sports

In the NIL Era, You Can Help Your School Buy a Quarterback

You can’t give your favorite NBA team $1 million to recruit your favorite player. But in college sports in the NIL era, you can.

Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) reacts during the second half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Brett Davis/Imagn Images
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
Exclusive

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game's relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
Read Now
July 15, 2025 |

In the final weeks of the college football season, all the talk was around the flurry of NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. 

Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami for his final year of eligibility for more than $4 million in NIL money, a source told Front Office Sports. Darian Mensah transferred from Tulane to Duke for $8 million over two years, CBS reported. John Mateer transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma for the same price, 247Sports reported

It sure looks like $4 million per year is the market rate for a top college quarterback right now. But check back in one month and the numbers will probably go up. Quinn Ewers—who ended up declaring for the NFL Draft—was supposedly offered $8 million by an unnamed school to play one more college season, according to 247Sports. That is the breakneck pace at which the NIL Wild West is only getting wilder.  

All of this culminated in Ohio State winning the national title after spending “around $20 million” in NIL money on its roster, AD Ross Bjork said. It was thought to be one of the two biggest NIL payrolls this season.

The entire NIL system might only be a stopgap until schools share revenue directly with players, depending on the results of the House v. NCAA settlement. (Opponents have until Jan. 31 to file their grievances.) But for now, this system—although to call it a “system” is too generous; it’s a slapdash carnival—is the new normal. 

And because this is the new normal, the biggest distinguishing factor between college sports and the pros is now this: You, a regular person, can directly contribute to your school’s recruitment of new stars. 

You can’t personally give $1 million to your favorite NBA team for them to go out and get Jimmy Butler. But you can give $1 million to your alma mater’s NIL collective so they can get a new quarterback. Or running back. Or point guard. 

Sure, not you, a non-multimillionaire. Only the ultra-rich, you might say. And indeed, it’s the ultra-high-net-worth alumni who are fueling this system: oil barons at SMU, Nike founder Phil Knight at Oregon, Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison (on behalf of his alumna wife) at Michigan, VitaminWater founder Mike Repole at St. John’s. 

But even if your part is paltry, you still can contribute. Just know that your investment is a gamble. It could lead to a national title, or the player could abscond to greener pastures—or, in this context, a richer campus quad. Earlier this season, Matthew Sluka, the quarterback who got UNLV off to a 3–0 start, abruptly announced he’d sit out the rest of the season over NIL “representations” he said weren’t fulfilled.

One FOS source donated a few thousand dollars to the Vanderbilt NIL collective two years ago—before NIL prices reached their current fever pitch—and was told it was going directly to a specific player, who, according to the source, got about $20,000 in NIL money from the collective. Six weeks later, that player transferred to Georgia for more than $200,000. The source says, “I called them up and asked, ‘What about my money, do we get it back?’ The guy who raised the money said, ‘Good question, I don’t even know for sure, but I don’t think so.’”

Ohio State’s massive payroll delivered the Buckeyes the first championship of the 12-team Playoff era, but as Matt Brown wrote for FOS, the big price tag doesn’t tell the whole story. No. 1 seed Oregon—which also had an eight-figure NIL roster—didn’t make it past the second round.

In the new open market of college sports recruiting, cash doesn’t guarantee victory. But it sure helps.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian waits to lead his team out of the tunnel ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Baylor Bears, Saturday, Sept. 23 at McLane Stadium in Waco.

Is a Texas Takeover About to Hit the SEC, On and Off..

The Longhorns are favored to win the SEC in their second year in the conference.
Georgia takes the field for the first half of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.

SEC Lands Starring Role in Netflix College Football Docuseries

Netflix brings its sports storytelling to the heart of SEC football.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart Says Money Is Making Players Too Comfortable

The football coach is concerned about the revenue-sharing era.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
May 15, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; United States Capitol seen as People rally outside the Supreme Court before justices hears oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc. At issue in the case is if the Supreme Court should stay the district courts' nationwide preliminary injunctions on the Trump administration’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.

Pro-NCAA Bill Takes First Step Toward Being Introduced on House Floor for..

It could be the first bill of its kind to make it to the House floor.
July 14, 2025

SEC’s Sankey Is ‘Fine’ With Big Ten’s Differing View on CFP Expansion

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey won’t commit to a 2026 CFP format.
July 14, 2025

Lane Kiffin: ‘Doesn’t Seem’ Like CFB Revenue-Sharing Cap Works Very Well

The outspoken Ole Miss football coach isn’t impressed with revenue-sharing guidelines.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 14, 2025

SEC’s Greg Sankey: Conference Not Sold on Private Equity—for Now

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he’s taken PE meetings.
July 11, 2025

NCAA: March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams ‘Still Viable’ for 2026

Negotiations continue with media rights holder CBS and TNT Sports.
The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
July 10, 2025

Athletic Departments Express Renewed Interest in PE in Wake of House Settlement

Schools now have more expenses—and are looking for creative solutions.
July 10, 2025

Deion Sanders Rips ‘Bulljunk’ in CFB, Calls for NFL-Style Salary Cap

Coach Prime is frustrated with the new revenue-sharing era.