It's overdue AND it's going to wreck parity, both things are true at once. The programs that manage their cap the smartest win the next decade, not necessarily the ones with the best coaches. Front-office builds titles now.
There's a lot of confusion out there, so here's the state of play. Since the House settlement took effect in July 2025, schools can now pay athletes directly out of a revenue-sharing pool, capped at roughly $20.5 million per school for this cycle and rising each year. That's separate from traditional NIL, where players still sign their own endorsement deals. So the top players are effectively managing two income streams now: a share straight from the university and their own commercial money on the side. Good for the sport, bad for competitive balance, or just long overdue? Where do you land?
