South Carolina AD Jeremiah Donati SpeaksTruth on Wild NIL Landscape

South Carolina AD Jeremiah Donati Sounds Off on NIL and Massive Payouts in College Football

College football has transformed dramatically in just five years, with shifts in the transfer portal, player compensation, and conference realignments reshaping the sport. While some see these changes as progress, others remain skeptical. South Carolina Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati recently shared his perspective on one of the most debated topics—NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) compensation—during “The Postgame Show” on 107.5 The Game on Tuesday.

According to Donati, the financial value placed on today’s college athletes far exceeds traditional NIL sponsorships and resembles something entirely different. He recalled his time in the NFL agency business more than a decade ago to illustrate the contrast.

“I used to work on the NFL agency side,” Donati said. “When I worked for Leigh Steinberg, one of [Leigh’s] clients was an All-Pro running back. And he had a deal with Nike that I remember was $50,000 annually. This particular running back had to do all these things for it.”

Fast forward to today’s college football landscape, and the numbers are staggering.

“We’re talking about linebackers and running backs that are getting $600,000 to $800,000 deals,” Donati explained. “If you want to burn up some of your revenue share inside the cap for that, that’s the institutional decision. But to find an $800,000 real NIL deal to pass scrutiny, I’m telling you, they are very, very, very few and far between. Other than a Heisman Trophy-caliber player, they just don’t exist. They certainly don’t exist for offensive linemen or that type of thing.”

With the House v. NCAA settlement set to introduce revenue-sharing in college football, schools may soon be able to directly compensate players, but it’s unlikely to alter the soaring NIL market. South Carolina is already navigating this reality, having reportedly secured star freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart with a deal between $1 million and $1.5 million to retain him this offseason.

As the landscape of college football continues to evolve, the debate over NIL and fair compensation isn’t going away anytime soon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *