Brian Kelly evaluates stability of NIL in revenue-sharing era: 'It's not going away, nor should it'

Earlier this offseason, Brian Kelly helped lead a major NIL initiative at LSU. He and his wife committed to match up to $1 million in donations with a gift to the school’s foundation, which resulted in $3.2 million raised for Bayou Traditions.

Speaking at SEC Media Days on Monday, Kelly joked he’s not going to “do $1 million every year,” necessarily. But as the revenue-sharing era begins in college sports, he pointed out the need to continue supporting NIL and maintain its stability.

With the implementation of the House v. NCAA settlement, schools will be able to directly share revenue with athletes. NIL deals are still part of the landscape, as are collectives – though questions are swirling with the new NIL Go clearinghouse in place. Still, Kelly said that side of the landscape is still important even with rev-share’s arrival.

“I think it’s the nature of where we are in college football,” Kelly said from the dais in Atlanta. “We have revenue-sharing, NIL. Look, we’re early on in the process here. This is the first step towards what we’re trying to put together. I’m excited about college football. I’m excited that we have something in place relative to revenue sharing. NIL is still something that we have to navigate through.

“So to answer your question, I think we still have to be thinking about how we continue to build or support for NIL, because it’s not going away, nor should it. As well as revenue-sharing. We’re in the first stages of where we need to be, but we have to still be moving in that direction.”

Brian Kelly: ‘Transparency and consistency’ needed post-House

The House v. NCAA settlement brings about a slew of changes around college athletics in addition to the $20.5 million schools can distribute through revenue-sharing. The College Sports Commission is now in place to lead enforcement of key settlement terms, including the NIL Go clearinghouse as well as rules around rev-share and roster limits.

Amid the seismic shift, coaches have called for more transparency and clarity on rules. Brian Kelly went a step farther and said consistency is also necessary when it comes to enforcement. That, he said, begins with coaches – especially after he recently attended an event where he was asked about possibly circumventing rules.

“Transparency and consistency,” Kelly said. “Those two words are probably the most important thing as we continue to move forward. … If we start with transparency and start with the clear communication necessary and consistency and approach, look, I know this might not be what you were asking, but it’s got to start with coaches. It’s got to start with us. I mean, we have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground. Ethics in this. It starts with us. It starts with coaches.

“I was at a speaking engagement a few weeks back, and every question about the NIL was trying to find a way around it, trying to find a way to bring in revenue in some other way. Sooner or later we have to take the stand that transparency, consistency, ethics, and morality are at the core of this. If that’s where we are we’re going to be able to move to the next step and be able to continue to make progress.”