By Peyton Hyde
With college athletes going unpaid for decades, the recent addition of NIL deals in July of 2021 by the NCAA allowed collegiate athletes to become endorsed by companies and begin making money off of their talents well before they hit the professional stage. The decision was met with both praise and criticism from athletes, coaches, and fans alike. Many people believe that the popular and well known institutions will have an even greater advantage over the others now, as these colleges and universities bring in larger donors who will give larger NIL deals to incoming athletes. While others believe that college athletes should be allowed to make money because of how much their colleges and universities make from spectators paying to watch the games. I had the chance to sit down with Nico Iamaleava (#2 recruit of the ‘23 class) and ask him the reason he chose to go to the University of Tennessee. The reason was simply that going to Tennessee would allow him to make the most money out of all the other schools he received offers from.
Iamaleava explained that on top of free tuition, he would receive an up front amount of $8 million from his NIL deal. The season before his verbal commitment, the Tennessee Volunteers football team had an overall record of 7-6, a winning season, but barely. In the past, a team that is not top in the nation would be nowhere on a top recruit’s radar, yet Nico chose Tennessee because of the NIL deal. Yes it mixes up the rankings and teams that were worse begin to
become better, which makes the sport more exciting to watch, but long term effects of the NIL deals will begin to emerge. Top teams in the nation will remain at the top simply because they have the money for it. College sports used to be a fun game of who has better coaches and recruits, but it may become a competition off the field of who has the most money.