NIL hot topic with coaches, players
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jesus, football and Bojangles.
D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson’s replacement for Trevor Lawrence and an early Heisman favorite, uttered those three words at the ACC Kickoff podium when asked about his most recent name, image and likeness opportunity. Uiagalelei, along with North Carolina star Sam Howell, announced this week a partnership with a fast food chain almost as popular in the Carolinas as faith and ball.
Uiagalelei, the last player to address reporters at the Westin Charlotte, finished his interview joking about a personalized Bojangles meal deal. The media room moderator quipped, “2021 sure is different.”
It was fitting for Uiagalelei to close out an ACC Kickoff that was dominated by conversations around NIL. COVID-19 vaccinations and College Football Playoff expansion were addressed throughout the week, of course. But representatives from all 14 teams discussed and dissected athletes’ newly granted chance to profit via third-party opportunities. And for the most part, the company lines were the same.
Players were pleased, but emphasized the need to focus on football first. Coaches were happy for them while offering a caution here and a concern there.
“I think it’s a great thing that a player has the opportunity to own and build their image,” said Duke’s David Cutcliffe, the ACC’s longesttenured coach along with Dabo Swinney. “I told our players that name, image and likeness, we used to call it reputation. Let’s not forget that as you build it. … What you can’t do with name, image and likeness is get so carried away with it that you erode your image. It can be a dangerous thing.”
“I’m against the professionalization of college athletics. … [NIL] does not change the collegiate model. This is just common sense,” Swinney said, stating that he has never been apprehensive toward NIL reform. “I would have liked more to have been done through the scholarship, to be quite honest with you, because then everybody could participate. NIL is going to be for some, not for everybody.”
So far, it’s definitely for the
quarterbacks, which was expected. Uiagalelei and Howell have the Bojangles deal, securing themselves some chicken and sweet tea. But a lot of the publicized business done by ACC quarterbacks has gone beyond personal gain.
Howell’s first NIL partnership was with TABLE, a nonprofit that provides hunger relief and nutrition education services to children living in Orange County, N.C. Miami’s D’Eriq King and Florida State’s McKenzie Milton partnered to co-found Dreamfield, an NIL-based platform focused on helping players book live events like autographsignings.
“Business is business,” King said when asked about the two playing for rival schools but working together. “It’s really to help as many guys as we can.”
Locally, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett signed a deal with the Oaklander Hotel and its restaurant Spirit & Tales to treat his blockers to weekly dinners — a move that was met positively by both those around the country and in Pitt’s offensive line room.
“It was important for me to start off with that one,” Pickett told the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette. “That’s something that dates back to high school, having my mom cook meals or her taking us out. In college, I’d take them out at the start of every season to eat and I’d pay for the meal. But obviously I couldn’t take them every week. Now that we can go every week and keep that tradition, we’re really excited about that.”
“You talk about a leader,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “A lot of times it’s about me, me, me, not we, we, we. But no one told Kenny to do that. That was Kenny’s idea.”
All of these deals are legal now, whether by state law or
NCAA rule. And in the opinion of many in Charlotte, they should have been allowed for a long time.
The worry that some coaches have is where it all goes from here.
Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said NIL could be “dangerous” for locker room dynamics, as some players pick up deals while others don’t. Narduzzi later dismissed that. “Opportunities are earned. Nothing’s given in life,” he added.
Narduzzi’s main concern is one shared with commissioner Jim Phillips and others in the conference, that NIL will cause recruiting advantages and disadvantages as schools operate under different state laws without uniformed federal legislation.
“At times, it’s been a bidding war to begin with. Now it’s a legalized bidding war, right? Let’s tell it like it is,” Narduzzi said. “There’s got to be some equality throughout the country, or we’re losing our sport. The opportunity is great for our players. I’m happy for our players. But what are we doing to keep this thing together? I think the NCAA, somebody better come up with answers.”
“I winced when I saw a quote from a state legislator saying, ‘ We have to get this law passed. This is hurting us in recruiting.’ That’s not the intent of this,” Cutcliffe said. “The intent is ownership that’s earned.”
This week in Charlotte — and really, the last few weeks — has illustrated both the intended and unintended byproducts of NIL. And in dealing with the latter, Narduzzi, Cutcliffe and others in the ACC understand more answers will come with time. Or at least they hope so.