Postscripts: Lambos and Longhorns, Big 12 Expansion Timing

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.

Texas was hosting a recruiting weekend in Austin and this was part of the set up — a row of Lamborghinis, likely courtesy of an Austin-based high-end car dealership.

The post caused a stir, especially among the set that can’t seem to wrap their head around the idea that student-athletes can get paid now. It was a good day for the “This is all going to destroy college sports” set.

It’s been three years since the Alston ruling forced the NCAA to suspend its rules around Name, Image and Likeness rules. At the time, I was fairly naïve to what might happen next. I felt it opened the door for student-athlete empowerment from a mom-and-pop standpoint. You know, the local car dealers take care of the student-athletes through autograph sessions and things like that.

They do, of course. They’re just doing it through collectives that trade in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, in NIL money.

Now, the House vs. NCAA settlement is about to change the game again. As part of the settlement, the NCAA is going to allow schools to directly pay student-athletes up to $20 million a year in revenue produced through television deals and other financial streams.

So, if you think NIL combined with the transfer portal is ruining the game, well, direct payments from schools is probably going to drive you nuts.

Schools are already planning ahead. Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said recently the Cornhuskers have already set the money aside in their budget (he said Texas has already done the same). Cincinnati Deputy AD and CFO told Bearcat Journal that the Big 12 is preparing to make direct payments starting in August of 2025. The money will come out of their TV contracts.

Opendorse, one of the leaders in the NIL facilitation space, is preparing software that will allow schools to determine “fair market value” for their student-athletes.

I get it. This has all changed fast and college sports fans are used to glacial change. It was only five years ago that the transfer portal was created, but it was designed for a much slower waiver process. Now student-athletes can basically transfer whenever they want.

But, isn’t this what the majority of us said we were fine with? Student-athletes getting a piece of the pie? Or are we offended that they’re getting more than we expected? Or that an 18-year-old kid may have a sweeter ride than we do?

If that’s it, well get over it. And another thing. For those of you that seem offended by all of this, let me ask this question — do you still love your team? Admit it — your answer is yes. Your fandom hasn’t diminished. Charles Barkley may be upset that Auburn keeps asking him for money for NIL, but he’s still War Eagle until he dies. And, once Auburn can directly pay players, Barkley can go back to donating for facilities like he used to.

Football attendance is up. TV ratings are holding steady. TV revenue payouts are in the billions. And you’re not going to stop watching games. I promise, even as you’re holding up your nose at all of this.

I’ve gotten there. It’s a much different world than just five years ago, but I got there. At the root, it’s still a game. Yes, there is all of this craziness around it. But, then again, hasn’t there always been craziness around it?

These days the flavor is just different.

Hailey Headed to Paris

With all the blowback of USA Basketball not selecting Caitlin Clark for the 2024 Olympics in Rome, you might have forgotten that Big 12 basketball has its own Olympian.

TCU guard Hailey Van Lith found out this week that she’ll represent the U.S. in 3×3 basketball with Cameron Brink, Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick.