The Current NIL Landscape
I recently returned from a week-long road trip where I visited ten prep schools and met with some of the top minds in the game. The NIL landscape is the Wild West. AJ Dybantsa has told colleges not to recruit him unless they pay him at least $7 million dollars. He just recently committed to BYU and there offer might have been even more than that. The top girls player in the class of 2025 is set to make $1.2 million when she arrives on a campus. Here are some other examples:
- A walk on at a high major program gets $20,000 per season
- On a 13-man roster only 11 of the players are getting paid. One of the two that isn’t is a starter.
- Players are showing up on visits to campuses and don’t truly care about the academics, coaches or facilities. They want to discuss how much they can get paid.
- A top class of 2026 player in a midwestern state will command $1 million dollars to be recruited.
What’s the Right Approach?
So how does a family of a high level player handle all of this? They need to start talking to an agent. Since NIL has come on the scene, agents, and those claiming to be, have materialized and now are representing high school players. This was totally illegal a few years ago. Now it is a must for families of potential division one players, if you want to make sure you are getting paid fairly.
Agents are so valuable in the NBA because they can go to front offices and give actual statistics and why a player deserves to make a certain amount. Current agents are doing that as well, but now at the college level. They can see market value of other players and make their case. While a family might be able to do this, I would prefer to have someone in my corner who does this on a daily basis.
An agent can also be the proxy for the family and be the “bad guy.” Most players just want to play and this is something that agents are paid to do. In a respectful manner hopefully. They can also review contracts and make sure that the player is protected. All of these agents will charge fees. Be sure to discuss this up front and have a lawyer review your contract with the agency. There have been examples of fast ones trying to be pulled on certain players out there. It never hurts to get a legal opinion.
Conclusion
There are a lot of agents out there so be sure you find the right fit. Talk to multiple ones, get references and trust your gut.
If you’re looking into prep school as a way to get more college exposure, reach out to us at PREP Athletics. We’re here to help you explore your potential and make choices that align with your athletic and academic future. We’ve also got a long list of resources to get you started in the right direction, so check out our YouTube or our podcast to dive deeper.