Implemented in the 2019/2020 college sports season, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)  is a way for college athletes to get paid while in college. 

NIL has been implemented in every college sport but mainly has affected football and basketball, as colleges have spent a total of 2.3 billion dollars in NIL to football and basketball, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“Many of the great basketball and football schools are dominating because they are spending tens of millions of dollars on their rosters,” Wesley Harnomon, freshman football player, said.

NIL has changed football, as it has created success for college football players who may not make the NFL or be financially successful in the National Football League (NFL). NIL has made it more enticing to stay in college and make significant profit from the college they are at, or enter the transfer portal which has exploded over the last four years.

“NIL has just changed the [college] game so much it’s like the NFL, and there’s no salary cap so the good teams are spending tens of millions of dollars in the transfer portal,” Harmon said.

The transfer portal is a list of players that are going to switch schools, maybe from a higher level of football to a lower or the other way around. The transfer portal is a newer thing to college football. Since players can get paid now, they will enter the transfer portal to go to a new school to receive more money.

An example of what the transfer portal is doing to the game of college football is this year’s national championship. It had two quarterbacks that went to a new school out of the transfer portal last year.

NIL can alter teams, seen when Duke University’s quarterback, Darian Mensah, agreed to re-sign and go back to Duke for next season. On Jan. 16, 2026, Mensah was offered to enter the transfer portal and come to Miami University. Mensah would have received five  million dollars and free tuition for his sister from Miami University but he had already re-signed with Duke so he sued the NCAA. The case is currently pending.

NIL is affecting college basketball because freshmen players straight out of high school are getting paid five million dollars or more. Most of the freshmen receiving the money will be going to the NBA after their first year of college basketball.

“In college basketball, more than other sports, the transfer portal isn’t used that much. So NIL is used to get recruiting straight out of high school,” Harmon said. 

There are coaches and teams that are throwing millions of dollars at kids that have never even played college basketball before hoping they will be good. But most times they are not worth the millions of dollars that they are given. 

The financial opportunities presented for  the players can lead to cockiness and purchasing lavish items. 

“The money just gets to their head and all the sudden they’re something else and are getting in trouble,” Harmon said.