In recent months, college athletics leaders have been preparing for a world of athlete revenue sharing, a decision that aligns with an industry that is breaking out of its shell of amateurism and evolving into a more professionalized organization. I have put down.
Schools employ general managers to oversee rosters, capologists to properly allocate cash, and consultants to find untapped avenues to generate revenue. Many are seeking to change the entire structure of athletic departments, including the creation of college scouting departments.
They are increasing ticket sales, bringing corporate sponsors to the stadium and even exploring private equity — all in an effort to generate new revenue and distribute it to players.
But perhaps the most important sign yet of the evolution of college athletics can be found in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, of all places.
The hiring of 72-year-old six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as head coach is a surprising move and a watershed moment for an industry that is rapidly professionalizing.
North Carolina’s week-long courtship of Belichick ended with an agreement between the school and coach on Wednesday. Although uncomfortable for many, this hire is understandable and timely given the current state of college sports.
Belichick knows pro ball.
Universities aren’t much different anymore.
In fact, in seven months, college athletics will make another big leap into the professional world. Under a salary cap-type system tied to the NCAA’s settlement of three antitrust lawsuits, schools are allowed to begin paying players directly.
Already, ahead of the July 1 implementation date, the program is offering players guaranteed financial packages, even going so far as to send school-issued revenue-sharing documents to recruits. Most of these contracts center around purchasing commercial and endorsement rights for athletes, and some are multi-year contracts that feature buyout language. The school must stay within the cap, which is currently projected at $20.5 million in year one.
contract.
salary cap.
Scouting department and capologist.
Sound familiar?
Soon, the only thing separating major college football from the NFL is the bond to higher education (they still have to go to class!) and the absence of employment (they still aren’t considered employees) ) only. Universities’ recruitment activities are also changing. Athletes and their parents are not necessarily courted through home visits or campus trips. These are transactional relationships that often guarantee hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash (for elite QBs, that number is often in the millions).
Belichick arrives in Chapel Hill as a master of pro ball. He won six Super Bowls and 302 games in 29 years as an NFL head coach. Despite his age, UNC waived a 73-year-old player in favor of a player a year younger, the former Patriots leader is more familiar with managing professional rosters than any coach in college football.
With chances to return to a pro franchise limited to non-existent, Belichick spent most of this offseason studying the college game. That became clear in a wide-ranging interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” when he detailed impending changes to the college game.
He was clearly talking to college coaches, perhaps his close friend Nick Saban, about the impending settlement that would usher in this era of revenue sharing.
“A lot of universities are looking at NFL-type models to build their personnel and coaching,” he told McAfee. “This job is obviously too big for one person. We need a general manager, a coach and a salary cap manager.”
For North Carolina, this move is bold, but maybe prescient.
The Tar Heels program is sure to undergo a complete overhaul in the coming months. In his interview with McAfee, Belichick made it very clear: He will bring an NFL mentality and structure to Chapel Hill.
There will be some awkward moments and power struggles.
In the end, Belichick suggested that during his time with McAfee, his conversations with North Carolina officials centered around the “structure” of the football program and “who reports to whom.”
His hiring, if successful, could completely change the way many college programs operate. Perhaps this coaching search will be a window into how things will work in the future. It’s no real secret that influential board members were involved in the investigation, perhaps even directing it toward Belichick.
The coach is believed to have laid out a list of demands and guarantees before taking the job, no doubt focusing on revenue-sharing numbers and power hierarchies.
Who should I answer?
How much can I pay players?
Last week, before his team played in the ACC Championship Game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about Belichick’s possible hiring.
“That’s quite a story,” he smiled.
Quite a story? This is a college football story, and it probably wouldn’t happen without other stories in the industry.
Say goodbye to college football as you once knew it.
These are currently minor league.
