By: Olivia Wallace 

      A few years ago, the Supreme Court decided college athletes are able to get paid for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Prior to this ruling, players were not allowed to be given any money from anyone associated with the college. If they did receive money, both the athlete and school could face consequences. Recently, NIL has become controversial in college sports for many reasons.  

     One of the biggest aspects NIL deals have changed is the transfer portal. Previously, athletes rarely left the school they began at, and, if they did, there were struggles. They had to sit out for a full year before being able to play for their new team. The transfer window, or period when players are allowed to enter transfer portal, has caused problems in multiple sports. For example, former Penn State quarterback, Beau Pribula, wanted to transfer but was forced to do it between December 9 and December 28. The problem is Penn State was in the middle of a playoff run, in which Pribula played multiple snaps at quarterback a game. Multiple basketball teams faced the same problem, with the transfer window opening before the March Madness tournament ended, causing turmoil. Coaches were upset because they had to try and get players to stay while also focusing on trying to win a national championship. 

     Small schools are hurt most by the changes in NIL. While bigger schools have always had more money for athletics, all schools were previously given money for scholarships. With NIL, the small schools are being set behind because the bigger schools are now allowed to spend the extra money on players. For instance, a Division One school like Penn State or University of Pittsburgh will have a lot more money to spend on athletes than a Division One school like Mercyhurst or Robert Morris. St. Francis, PA is trying to get ahead of the problem by switching to Division three next year after being a Division One school for over 30 years.  

     On the other hand, one group being positively affected is women athletes. With fewer professional opportunities women are now able to at least make money for the sports they play in college. Women’s basketball players are especially benefitting from NIL. WNBA salaries are lower than the amount people make off NIL deals, so some players are choosing to stay in college over entering the draft. Olivia Miles decided to stay in college and transfer to TCU over declaring for the draft. She was commonly projected to be drafted second this year but instead stayed in college to make even more money. 

     Players are becoming more outspoken with their NIL wants and needs as well. Tennessee Volunteers’ quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, recently tried to renegotiate his NIL deals with the school from $2 million to $4 million. In order to do so, he tried sitting out of team meetings and practices, so representatives knew he was serious about wanting to double his NIL earnings. His coach, Josh Heupel, did not like his absences, so he decided the team would move on from Iamaleava. He now must transfer if he wants to continue playing college football at a point in the year when he should be preparing with his team.  

     Many people are debating whether they believe NIL is a good thing for college sports. Some believe college athletes deserve to be paid, but others believe, since they are not yet professional athletes, they should not be paid. The Squire interviewed future college athlete, Tracey Jakubczak, and asked her whether she believed changes should be made to the current NIL structure, and she said, “I don’t think students should be receiving million-dollar NIL deals; at most they should receive a full ride.” While she agrees athletes should be paid some money, she also thinks there should be a limit, which is something many fans agree with. 

     What are your thoughts on college athletes being paid NIL deals? If you want to keep up with NIL and the transfer portal, keep watching college sports. You will be able to see how they adapt to unseen challenges as they navigate this new period of college sports.