NIL has changed college sports forever. Student-athletes’ proper use of their Name, Image, and Likeness has led to sprawling changes across collegiate athletics. The kids are getting paid, and that’s great.
There are challenges to navigate through. The lack of overall oversight has led to a very Wild West feeling across the sport. In a specific case, UNLV quarterback Matthew Skula opened up the floodgates last week after entering the transfer portal following an NIL dispute with the university.
And on Monday, one college football coach discussed those challenges. West Virginia head coach Neal Brown offered an honest assessment of NIL and how you have to operate as a coach.
Brown said, “I think you have to navigate it the best way you see fit. I think each situation is unique.”
He added he can’t speak on the UNLV situation without being part of it but that he feels comfortable with WVU’s processes.
“I feel comfortable with our processes,” he admitted. “I probably wouldn’t have said that three years ago, but I’m confident with what we’re doing now as far as our processes.”
Brown stressed more fundraising efforts will be necessary for WVU, but then called the system “imperfect” right now.
“Here’s the thing. This is an imperfect system. It’s imperfect. The thing for right now, it doesn’t affect the product. Will it eventually? Maybe, I don’t know. We’ve gotta get it figured out. I don’t think we have a great system in place right now,” he said. “You never hear me sit up here and complain about it just because nobody wants to hear the head coach complain about it. Seriously. They pay me a lot of money, and they pay you to figure it out. But it’s not a great system, but it is what it is.”
Brown said that the lack of clarity makes things difficult, and it’s getting closer to needing to really figure it out.
