The NIL Effect

College football has always been about tradition marching bands, sold-out stadiums, and Saturday rivalries that feel like religion in some parts of the country. But in 2021, a quiet rule change by the NCAA shook that tradition to its core.

Athletes were finally allowed to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), and since then, college football has never looked the same.

In just a few short years, NIL has transformed nearly every part of the sport. Recruiting, once centered on legacy, playing time, and NFL pipelines. Now heavily factors in marketing potential and off-field income. High school seniors are considering not just a coach’s scheme or a program’s championship history, but also which school can help them land endorsement deals or grow their personal brand.

Multi-million-dollar NIL deals for recruits like those reported for quarterbacks such as Bryce Underwood the current senior, who was committed to LSU until a better offer came of five million dollars from Michigan led him to flip his commitment.

Behind the scenes, entire ecosystems have emerged to support this new landscape. NIL “collectives,” essentially booster-funded organizations, have become power players in recruiting and retention. These groups help funnel deals from local businesses or donors to players, creating a semi-organized market for athletes' rights to promote products or appear at events.

In practice, many of these collectives operate like salary pools, and while schools can’t directly promise NIL compensation, athletes have a pretty good idea of what kind of money they’ll be stepping into before they ever sign a letter of intent.

The transfer portal has become another major player in this new era. Schools with deep pockets can not only recruit elite freshmen but also poach standout players from smaller programs. When Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison transferred to USC after winning the Biletnikoff Award, many speculated NIL played a major role in the decision. It was a clear sign: top talent would follow not just exposure and opportunity but also money.

Yet for every flashy headline or big-name transfer, NIL is also quietly rewriting what it means to be a student-athlete. Players like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Colorado’s Travis Hunter are building personal brands, running apparel lines, and creating content on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. These athletes are becoming entrepreneurs, often hiring agents and financial advisors before they ever take a snap in the NFL.

Not everyone is thrilled, though. Coaches and analysts worry that NIL has turned college football into a bidding war. The balance between team and individual, long a cornerstone of locker room culture, is being tested. Some players are making hundreds of thousands if not millions while others receive nothing.

Jealousy and distractions are inevitable concerns, and keeping a team focused has become as much a management challenge as a coaching one.

Still, there’s a sense that NIL is simply college football catching up to reality. For decades, the sport generated billions in revenue while players received none of it. Now, finally, they’re sharing a piece of the pie. And in an age where athletes are public figures from the moment they commit, learning how to navigate branding, business, and the media is just as valuable as studying the playbook.

NIL has brought chaos, opportunity, and growing pains but also a new level of empowerment for players. The college football landscape is evolving fast, and those who fail to adapt risk being left behind.

Whether you see NIL as a revolution or a reckoning, one thing is clear: this is no longer just about football. It's about business, identity, and the future of a sport that’s still learning what it means to truly value its players.