The execution of name, image and licensing deals across the entire college football scene has been somewhat chaotic and has been criticized by some figures in the sport. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has a suggestion that could cut some of that chaos.
Harbaugh said Tuesday during his Big Ten media day press conference that he believes the Big Ten should allow players to directly share in conference revenue by directly signing players to NIL transactions.
“They use their name, their image and their cuteness on TV shows,” says Harbaugh, via Aaron McMann of MLive. “They are big TV contract signings. And a new one is coming in 2024. Why can’t it be a NIL deal right out of the Big Ten? Because that’s the guy that’s negotiating the TV deals, and that’s where the big money comes in.”
Harbaugh’s suggestion is pretty bold, as he’s basically saying that the Big Ten should cut out the middleman and pay the players themselves. There is certainly an argument to be made that it is the safest, best controlled way to ensure players make a profit without making things too messy.
On the other hand, some schools may reserve such a plan depending on how it will be implemented. Larger schools like Michigan that get on national television more often will likely want a larger share of the pie for their players. Smaller, less successful schools would argue that such an arrangement could simply widen the gap between them and the conference’s elite teams.
Harbaugh has always a bit more purist than some others when it comes to NIL discussions. This isn’t a bad idea on his part, but there will be a lot of hurdles to work through before it can become a reality.
