In a press conference Friday, University of Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra predicted that the new NIL era in college sports is destined to make some young adults quite wealthy.
“There will probably be eye-popping headlines about student-athletes making six-figure deals,” Tyra said, as reported by spectrumnews1.com. Tyra added that he would not be surprised to pull into the Louisville parking lot and park next to a student-athlete's Mercedes. “I think that will happen,” he said.
Tyra did not name any athlete in particular or speculate on how quickly such a situation would come to pass, but his prediction illustrates the new world college sports will enter on July 1, when student-athletes in Kentucky and six other states are allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness, spectrumnews1.com reported. The rules, which the NCAA hopes to streamline across all 50 states, will allow student-athletes to endorse businesses and products, get paid for appearances and conduct business in a way that was long forbidden in college sports.
At his own press conference in Lexington, University of Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart was less eager to speculate on what opportunities might arrive for Wildcat athletes, but made one prediction. “I think there will be opportunities for some young people that will be greater than others,” he said, adding that teams will face the challenge of not letting the differing NIL opportunities create friction in the locker room.
He also repeatedly called for federal legislation to replace the current patchwork of state laws, executive orders and NCAA guidelines.
Though the University of Louisville will not be a party to the transactions between student-athletes and those choosing to hire them, it will help ensure the propriety of the deals and protect student-athletes, associate athletic director Matt Banker said. Throughout the month of June, student-athletes were offered the chance to participate in education sessions with the NIL changes in mind. More will be available in the fall, including law clinics to help examine contracts and a course in the school’s Sport Administration Program called “NIL in College Sports.”
