Athletes in the college recruiting process are having a harder time than ever now that money has entered the equation.
The recruiting landscape drastically changed with the allowance of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals within college sports. Since college athletes cannot make money for their performance, per NCAA rules, NIL is a new loophole for them to benefit from their status. But it has started to skew focus in the recruiting process, and the shift in focus from academic and athletic fit to financial gain has sparked conversation from athletes, parents, and organizations.
Historically, college recruiting has been an ever-changing process. One of the most recent changes, implemented in 2019, limits communication with athletes and coaches until June 15 following their sophomore year. Ultimately, this condenses the amount of time they have to be recruited. Previously, athletes were committed to schools as early as eighth grade. The addition of NIL has amped up the next evolution of recruitment since its approval by the Supreme Court in June 2021.
Viktoria Vladimarsdottir, a soccer player from Reykjavik, Iceland, believes NIL isn’t all its hyped up to be.
“I think it sounds exciting that athletes can profit from their NIL but at the same time it’s biased because it’s primarily for men’s sports and not females,” she said.
According to Opendorse, an NIL marketplace platform, an estimated $1.7 billion will be made in NIL transactions this year. Their 2023 report showed that 66% of NIL deals went to male athletics compared to a 34% for females. Besides major sports like basketball and volleyball, there is less of an NIL focus for prospective female athletes.
Rylan Shibley, a senior football player from West Boylston, Mass., has seen the effects of NIL in his sport.
“I believe NIL is good for the athletes because it recognizes their likeness and talent,” he said, “however, it does deter from athletes finding where they really want to be and instead go after dollar signs, so the transfer portal also becomes a large problem.”
The implementation of new transfer portal rules and new limitations on top of NIL has thrown a curve in the recruiting landscape. According to Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), a program that helps connect high school athletes with college coaches, the key updates to the transfer portal include earlier access to the portal, a one-time allowance to play the year after transferring (historically, players had to wait a year before they were eligible to play), and no limitations to the number of times players can change schools.
For example, a player could transfer from a small D1 school like Saint Anselm College to a larger school like Boston University for a promised $30,000 NIL bonus, and play the year at BU, potentially taking the spot that would have been available for a recruit in the incoming class, and collect the bonus. That player then can decide to transfer out again, taking a spot somewhere else.
Tommy Beaton, Williston’s Head Football Coach, sees the good and bad in NIL.
“I think that NIL makes a lot of sense because the money is now going to the people who are the ones that deserve it,” he said. “That being said, the NCAA needs to have regulation because it is not in a great place and there are no rules right now.”
There are currently no federal laws against NIL; schools must only adhere to state laws. NIL deals are not capped, either. There is no limit to the amount in transactions for any sport or division. NIL can help athletes, and their families make money, which can also be put towards paying for school, but pay isn’t guaranteed. Schools can promise a deal, but they aren’t obligated to hold up their end of the deal once an athlete commits and attends.
