Money in NCAA sports has changed life for a few. For many athletes, college degree remains the prize

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PHOENIX (AP) — Sponsorship deals were far from Johnny Bottorff’s mind when he transferred to Northern Arizona University on a football scholarship. As money-making opportunities for college athletes have boomed since then, the offensive lineman has earned a few hundred dollars through name, image and likeness deals, but nothing has changed his life.

Bottorff, 23, earned a college degree and is working on his master’s degree at a Division I school in Flagstaff, Arizona. He transferred from Missouri Western State University, a small Division II school in St. Joseph, Missouri.

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“I think the reality for most college athletes is that things haven’t changed much. We just got a little extra money in our pockets that probably needed to happen,” Bottorff said.

For some players, the money from NIL deals has changed what it means to be a college athlete. But with the exception of top athletes, who can now earn millions of dollars while in school, many players say a college degree remains the ultimate prize.

College athletes graduate at rates similar to non-athletes and often higher. For Division I schools, the NCAA last year reported data showing 91% of athletes graduate.

Before the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that U.S.-born athletes could earn money from advertising, signings and university support, college athletes were subject to a simple agreement with their institutions: compete in exchange for a degree.

The money received through NIL deals has changed the equation for athletes like Washington Commanders midfielder Jayden Daniels and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, who have leveraged their personal brands while in college, landing endorsement deals with companies like Reebok, Powerade, and Beats By. know.

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The rates of academics as a priority vary with each individual. But many Division I athletes said in interviews that the money available to them through the NIL remains a small consideration compared to earning a degree and competing in the sports they love.

Anthony Leal, a guard for the Indiana University basketball team, said he will return for his fifth year because of school, despite earning his college degree last year. Earning an MBA was always the goal, he said.

“I got about 70% through the program at Kelley Business School,” he said. “I wanted to get that degree.”

NCAA eligibility rules allow athletes to compete athletically for five years across four seasons. Under the redshirt eligibility rule, many receive an athletic scholarship and play their freshman year, but do not compete in games or matches. The NCAA also allowed athletes to extend their eligibility by one year if their team was affected by the pandemic.

For some athletes, the lack of money is an incentive to get into and stay in college, but Leal said it’s not often that athletes are completely uninterested in school.

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“Every student knows they have to be a piece of the puzzle at some level. So everyone understands the value of school,” Leal said. “But, yeah, sure, some people might have other goals. There’s a lot of people, maybe not in Indiana, but there’s a lot of people throughout college basketball that don’t care because you don’t have any money and the transfer portal.

The transfer portal has become a plug-and-play method for power plants and rebuilding programs alike. It made it easier for athletes to switch colleges and play the following season, rather than sitting out a year under previous rules. It has become a way for top athletes to seek more lucrative opportunities. UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, for example, walked away from the team in a dispute over a $100,000 payout his agent says he was promised but never paid.

The NIL market is expected to reach $1.67 billion in the 2024-2025 academic year, according to an estimate by the NIL Opendorse platform. The highest earnings go to the best men’s basketball and soccer players.

Although the NCAA now allows players to transfer without stopping playing, the academic transition can be more complicated.

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Ray Harrison started at Presbyterian College in 2020, but in 2022 he transferred to Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university in Phoenix where he is a senior guard on the basketball team. He said NIL money was not a factor. It was about finding a better place for him.

“I just came out here because this is where God led my heart. Of course we won two (conference) championships and that changes things.” But it wasn’t a smooth transition, as a lot of his credits didn’t transfer. “When I got here, it was “I have to do some catching up.”

Trinity San Antonio, another student who transferred to the Grand Canyon, previously attended California Baptist University, a private university in Riverside, California. Finding a school that would accept the majority of my previously earned college credits was harder than I expected.

“Coming in as a freshman when you’re really young is not ideal,” said San Antonio, who also played basketball for Puerto Rico last summer in the Paris Olympics.

Obtaining a college education remains a dream for many young athletes.

Tavarius Covington, a wide receiver on the Chicago high school football team, has ambitions to play in college. But he said his priority is school. He hopes to obtain a degree in business administration.

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Covington said he took a break from football but returned to it last year, hoping it would help him become the first in his family to go to college and earn a college degree.

“I was watching my little brother play. We would go to his games and the family was excited for him. It got me interested in the game again.” “Part of it is trying to create a foundation for him as well, as a first-generation college student, hopefully. I want him to know that there is more to look forward to after graduating from high school.

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Marott reported from Indianapolis.

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